Creature Of The Tide
by Plain Ol' Spectator
Summary: In the aftermath of a series of Salmon Run shifts, 4 inklings' normal lives are interrupted when mysterious sightings of a supposedly humanoid Salmonid start plaguing Inkopolis soon after their last job. Together, they hope to uncover the mystery of this new creature and contain it before it causes harm. Stranger still, they soon find the beast is hiding within one of their own...
1. Prologue: Scuffle At The Bay

It seemed like yet another day at the Marooner's Bay. The rays of the setting sun drenched the small island in a warm glow. The murky waters crashed against the mud, some droplets breaking away from the waves to touch the dry land, before promptly returning to it's brethren. The large vessel that accompanied the dark land also received contact from the immense body of water, rusting metal creaking and groaning due to the corroding liquid. It was an eerie place, serving as one of the few remaining relics of a bygone era, a ghost of the past. Yet, despite the intimidating look of the place, a certain calmness could be found if one where to sit back and take in it's surroundings.

Unfortunately, said calmness was unable to be found by anyone in the locale at the moment, lost to the chaos and ruckus of two very different sea creatures.

* * *

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" Was a cry that reverbated throughout the island. It belonged to a small inkling boy, who at the moment was running for dear life from a flock of foul salmonids. His legs quickly alternated in position, one stepping after the other at an incredibly fast rate without any missteps, as if on autopilot, while the large brush he held drew a path through the dirtied environment. The scaly fishes relentlessly followed the boy, repeatedly lunging at him or reaching out with their fins and some even swimming over or trampling their brethren in order to get closer to the boy. Despite their efforts, none succeeded in taking him.

The inkboy swerved to his right and raced up a small wooden ramp, stopping and ducking just before a large frying pan made contact with his face. He then retreated and ran towards the shore on his left, leaving behind a bomb that burst into a shower of blue ink and took down his adversaries.

"What's with these slimebags today?" The boy wondered, all the while continuing on his path to the basket. "It's not even nighttime and yet they're way more jumpy than usual."

His musing came to a momentary end when he noticed a number of Salmonids gathering around one of his coworkers. Seeing the struggling inkling trying to hold back his attackers with the rather inefficient weapon spurred the boy into action, breaking away from his intended path to aid his partner. With a roar, he jumped into the fray, rapidly swinging his brush to splat the many salmonids that stood between him and his coworker.

After clearing out the mass of fishes, he approached the inkling and offered his hand, however they brushed it off and pulled themselves up.

"I had it under control," they said, dusting off their knees.

"Being overwhelmed and nearly splatted is 'under control' to you?" The boy replied, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

"I just- that doesn't matter. Do you have the egg?"

"Yes! It's right… here?" The boy reached for the object on his back, but didn't feel anything save for his own life saver. The only thing he found was his loose net, the golden egg nowhere to be seen. "Uh…"

" **Where** are they?!"

The boy merely pointed in the direction he came from, both of the inklings staring at the blue salmonids scrambling to grab the golden orbs for themselves.

The taller inkling sighed, starting to run towards the site of the eggs, but not before giving one last look at the smaller inkling. "You really need to pay more attention to your surroundings, Khal," The inkling advised and promptly dove into the ink.

Khal was left stumped and couldn't find the words to defend himself, instead distantly watching his coworker effortlessly take out the blue fishes. "At least a 'thank you' would have been nice…"

He shook himself out of his stupor and resumed his trek across the island. There was still work to be done, after all, and Khal reminded himself that standing in the middle of a fight bummed out wouldn't help anyone. He was sure that if he didn't move in the next few seconds the raspy, screaming voice of Mr. Grizz would be heard in his communicator.

* * *

Khal ran, inked and swam all around the island, gathering as many eggs as he could and bringing them to the basket located on the bow of the vessel. It was a smooth and frankly uneventful cruise, since nothing ever really harmed or stopped him (in part due to his coworkers taking care of any Salmonids that stood in his way, and the other part due to him simply being too fast for them). Eventually, enough eggs were gathered so that only one more was needed to fulfill the quota, and luckily for Khal, that one egg would be his to claim in just a few short moments.

The dark skinned boy was a few paces away from a confrontation between another one of his teammates and a Steelhead, both seeming to be at a stalemate and evenly matched. No matter how much she slid and rolled with her dualies, the coworker couldn't land enough hits on the Steelhead's bomb before it was launched from it's head, not to mention that she was also dealing with the smaller fish as well. A hit from a chum's frying pan sent her reeling to the ground, all while the other salmons surrounded her. She barely had the strength to get up, and instead of firing the inkgirl used up all of her remaining ink and threw a bomb at her enemies; a bomb that would have saved her from imminent danger had it not been deflected by a cohock and sent to the murky waters below.

The inkgirl's green eyes looked at the gathered fishes and the Steelhead preparing another one of it's explosive bags, waiting for them to end her pathetic display and splat her into oblivion. Her request would've been fulfilled had it not been for the timely arrival of Khal. He rapidly swung his brush, splatting all of the lesser salmonids in a second, then swam to his coworker and pulled her away from the Steelhead. They managed to escape the large green bomb moments before it detonated, covering a chunk of the ground in dark green ink.

"... That was terrible, wasn't it?" The female questioned in a hushed voice, looking down at the ground in disappointment.

"You were just overwhelmed, right?" Khal replied, flashing a smile at the girl. "I mean, that happens to all of us at some point during our job, so it's not really your fault. Besides, it's no biggie."

The inkgirl glanced at him, mouth slightly open and eyes wide in surprise, before taking on a more neutral expression. "I guess. It's just-well, this isn't supposed to happen. I never get surrounded like how I was right now."

"Then you just gotta be a little more mindful of your surroundings next time,ok?" Khal sat up, looking at the female worker more intently.

"Right. Maybe-"

The inkgirl didn't finish her sentence and instead lunged toward Khal, pushing him back and propelling them both away from what just became the landing site of another Steelhead bomb that soon burst into another splash of ink.

"Thanks for the tip, but we have a boss to splat and a shift to finish," the inkgirl said, standing up and getting into a battle stance.

"Right!" Khal cheered, getting into a stance of his own. He was about to rush the large fish, but inmediately stopped as soon as a troubling realization entered his mind. He looked up his companion once more, shoulders sunk and a look of worry etched on his features. "Wait, what is your plan, Jade? Our weapons don't have much range."

Jade, however, didn't pay mind to the boy and swam to another part of the ship; Khal was left alone, utterly confused by the girl's way of thinking and with his only "company" already preparing another attack. He called out Jade's name again, before dodging the Steelhead. The Steelhead loomed over the inkboy, walking menacingly towards him and forcing him back to the edge of the stern's beach. With no escape routes in sight, Khal braced himself for the imminent splash of filthy ink courtesy of the large salmonid. A green bag was formed on the Salmon's head, growing and expanding, and for a moment, the diminutive Inkboy closed his eyes and truly believed he was about to be drenched in ink.

Of course, his prediction did come true, just in a very different way than he expected. Sounds of gunshots and a burst of ink suddenly entered his ears, and Khal felt a swathe of warm liquid making contact with his body. Instead of doom, the surge of color brought him salvation.

Khal opened his eyes and saw the Inkgirl Jade landing on the same spot as the Steelhead that terrorized him mere moments ago. She grabbed two of the golden eggs left behind by the destruction of the Steelhead, tossing one to a baffled Khal in the process.

"Nice going, Khal!" The inkgirl cheered with a wide smile, already running back to the basket.

The inkboy's confusion only grew in that moment, expressed by a singular "Huh?" and a tilted head. Was she mocking him? It could've been the case since, admittedly, this recent display of helplessness was very poor, and his contributions to the overall team effort seemed...inconsequential. But Khal then thought about Jade's tone. It didn't seem malicious, nor was the smile directed towards him, and he even heard a hint of kindness in her voice. Why he received such a simple and perhaps honest compliment at this moment after such a stupid display of incompetence was lost on Khal, but one thing was certain; It was very pleasing to his ears.

Jade's words lingered in his head even after pushing them to the back of his mind, and still after a message from the third and final coworker on his team resounded on his tiny earbuds. While he made his way towards the egg basket Khal overheard the distinct rambling of said coworker.

"So many eggs to collect, so little time… Why do we have to do this, again?" Tiredness was evident in the third inkboy's voice, further proven by the audible sigh that accompanied his musings.

* * *

"To get those sweet 'n juicy bonuses, of course! Or have you forgotten about them too, Yzel?" The peppy voice of Jade chimed in,the girl already swimming towards Yzel's location.

"Sure, but why deal with **these** guys, specifically? And what's with the time limit?" Yzel whined. Judging by the muffled and garbled inkshots, splashing ink and snarls coming from Khal's earbuds, it sounded as if Yzel was in the middle of a confrontation with a batch of Salmonids.

"Think of it as a test," Jade reassured, dodging and splatting any fishes that came near her while closing the distance between her and the tanned Inkboy. "Splat as many as you can within a certain time, and you get paid for how well you do, and grabbing balls too, I guess.."

* * *

Khal skidded to a halt, stared at the entities that blocked his path, then inmediately turned tail and left the ship.

* * *

"Maybe if you hurried up with quota fulfilling instead of mindlessly inking turf, this would've been over a long time ago," The other inkling scolded, finishing off a Chum before also swimming over to Yzel's location.

"Oooh, great idea, Salem! Too bad I can't deliver any because I'M SURROUNDED BY THESE SLIMEBAGS WHO WON'T STOP COMING AND KEEP ON **BLOCKING** ANY PATH I MAKE!"

"Sheesh…" Despite the harsh tone of Yzel's words, Salem remained unfazed and got to the beach below the port of the ship. Soon, he was met with an annoyed Yzel surrounded by various Salmonids of different shapes and sizes. Salem eliminated a Drizzler, while the tanned inkboy shot a faraway Snatcher and simultaneously dodged a series of frying pan swings. The two dealt with their numerous opponents in tandem, and with additional support from Jade's dualies, the trio managed to eliminate a horde of salmonids, leaving behind a bountiful supply of precious golden eggs.

"This would be easier if I had my slosher.." Yzel sighed, lazily holding and looking at his loaned weapon, the turquoise Jet Squelcher.

"Does it matter? We still beat them," Salem picked up a nearby egg, giving a confused glance at the tanned Inkling.

"True, true. At least I wouldn't have to worry about the little buggers as much."

Just as the trio of Inklings were about to return to the basket with their haul, a frowning Khal walked up to them, not looking very pleased.

"You're late," Salem reprimanded, before turning his gaze to the sea on the horizon.

"Figured as much," Khal muttered, his downcast demeanor quickly changing to a more nervous look. "Hey, about those eggs-"

"They're in good hands and nothing's gonna take 'em away!" Yzel confidently said, grabbing one of the golden orbs and hitching a ride on the propeller elevator.

"It's okay, Khal. We took care of most of the enemies," Jade reassured. Unfortunately, her words did little to calm the smaller inkboy.

"T-there's a Steel Eel surrounding the basket!"

"What?!" Both Jade and Salem exclaimed. As if on cue, a screaming Yzel was knocked back from the ship and sent flying towards the beach, crashing just next to the three. His cap seemed to have been blown off too, landing on top of his chest.

"... And it's flanked by two Scrappers…"

Sure enough, the twin Scrappers revealed themselves, leaping from the ship and into the beach below. The quartet scattered, with Yzel even managing to recover in time and safely roll out of a Scrapper's landing zone, and got ready to take on the new duo.

"Two, huh? No problem," Jade boasted, twirling her Dapple Dualies and dashing towards one of the Scrappers.

The salmon runners fought the scrappers in groups of two, Khal distracting one from the front as Jade shot at it from behind, while Salem and Yzel respectively did those same motions on the other scrapper. Both quickly burst into splashes of ink, however there was no time for celebration.

The deep sound of a horn echoed several times throughout the island, and the inklings knew all too well what that entailed. Salem was the first to react, walking a few paces ahead of the others and turning towards them.

"Let's go; If we stay here we're gonna get surrounded easily," he ordered.

"But what about the eggs?" Yzel questioned, moments after shooting another Snatcher without looking back in it's attempt to hoard the many leftover rewards.

"With that boss surrounding the basket, I doubt we can get all of them before time runs out."

Suddenly, a blinking green circle appeared below the inklings' feet, notifying them of the arrival of one of their more tricky enemies.

"Come on!" Salem exclaimed, swimming towards the nearby ramp that connects to the ship, the others following suit. Yzel gave one last look at their bounty of eggs, now nothing more than scattered, useless trinkets being taken away by their former owners.

"That's okay. I didn't want the eggs anyway…" Yzel sarcastically muttered before joining his companions.

* * *

There were many things Khal expected when he re-entered the rusting floor of the ship. The increasingly numerous hordes of Chums and Cohocks that were rising from the water and closing in on them was nothing out of the ordinary, nor where the barrage of missiles that struck the earth, forcing the team to scatter. The various bosses that would soon unleash their sweeping, deadly attacks would be no problem if they played their cards right and quickly eliminated them..

No, what he didn't expect was for the salmons to adapt to their weaknesses, spring a trap effortlessly, corner them and finish them all off one by one, like a stack of dominoes.

* * *

Once the barrage of missiles ended, Yzel found himself in the buried stern, surrounded by many Chums on all sides. He shot at any Salmonid who lunged at him, but his efforts proved to be in vain as for every fish he splatted another would instantly appear. Only when he saw the circle of Salmonids around him did he realize that his situation was not favorable.

"Aw, man…" He whispered, ceasing his constant shooting. In mere moments, the Chums rushed at him all at once, slapping, hitting and bashing into his body, until he finally burst into a puddle of green ink. He was the first to fall.

* * *

Khal broke off from the group, dodging the series of missiles that exploded behind him until the last one landed. The relief from danger was temporary, however, for as soon as he set his sights forward he yelled in surprise and inmediately skidded to a stop. The same Steel Eel that wrapped around the basket was now mere inches from his body and about to close it's metal jaws on him. Luckily, Khal managed to dodge them in time, and inmediately ran the other way, the Steel Eel now in pirsuit.

Khal maneuvered around the various Salmonids that tried to whack him and hoping to get away from the Steel Eel that chased him. The twists and turns he made allowed him to easily dodge and counter the many attacks he received, while also helping him keep his distance from the mechanical eel that was on his trail.

As an unintended side effect it also allowed the Steel Eel to more easily corner his comrades.

* * *

Back on the beach, Salem splatted any Salmonid that came near him, while also trying to keep as large of a distance as possible between himself and his enemies. During his fight, a smallfry leapt up and bumped unto him, making him stumble backwards right into the clutches of a Cohock. It wrapped it's greasy, sticky fins around the inkling, holding him in place for it's brethren to beat up. Despite the unfavorable odds, Salem didn't panic and quickly retaliated, activating his inkjet and taking off to the skies, soaking his captor in orange ink and splatting it in the process.

Salem continually fired at the crowds of Salmonids below, and for a few moments managed to succesfully repel his attackers. Of course, those precious instances of relative safety were promptly ripped away from him, when a trio of smallfry and chums jumped to the inkboy, each fish clinging to his leg and bringing him closer to the ground with their added mass. This was followed by a thin beam of green ink piercing through Salem's body, damaging his jetpack and grounding him. Salem could only yell in pain as he suffered under the constant beating and bashing of the lower Salmons and the burning sensation of the distant Stinger's beam, until finally the metal teeth of the Steel Eel snapped shut around his body and crushed him, putting the inkboy out of his misery.

* * *

The two remaining inklings were on their own and just barely able to survive against the increasingly large number of Salmonids on the field. Another series of missiles struck, and despite the constant barrage of attacks, they both managed to stand their ground and splat a few more Salmonids in the process.

And yet, no matter how many enemies she splatted or how much orange ink she laid down, Jade was powerless against the army of fishes. Her movements became sluggish and she was starting to breath heavily.

Close to the piers, she was backed to a wall of the ship, face to face with a Cohock and panting. Just before it attacked, Khal jumped from above and repeatedly swung his brush at the Cohock, splatting it.

"You OK?" The boy said.

"There's too many of them…" Jade glumly said, straightening up.

"We can take them on!" Khal exclaimed, standing in front of Jade. "If we give it our all, I'm sure we can beat them and win!"

"Look around you, Khal," Jade ordered, making Khal look back at her. "We won't accomplish anything if we just stay and fight."

"But-" Khal's protest was cut off by a reverbated screech. The two inklings inmediately dove to their left, only narrowly dodging the dreaded Steel Eel's head bash. Khal led the Steel Eel away from the other Salmonids, allowing Jade to sneak behind it and fire at it's pilot, destroying it.

"We've done enough! Let's go!" The girl shouted, motioning Khal to return to her. This time, he didn't object and ran from the long pier where he led the Steel Eel to, back to where Jade stood.

The inklings pushed through the Salmonid hordes, Khal speeding ahead on his inkbrush and leaving behind a trail for Jade to follow, the girl swimming closely behind him. They mostly evaded any enemy that tried to harm them, however when one got too close for comfort, Jade popped up from her ink and quickly eliminated the attacker before sinking back in. The duo travelled from the piers to the buried stern and were now reaching the twin grated bridges (The propeller elevators were inoperable due to the large amount of Salmonids blocking them). In their struggle, the basket was left unguarded and unobstructed by anyone, and they would only need to cross the small gap to reach the basket.

They were about to pass the bridge when Jade was unexpectedly grabbed from within her ink and pulled up. She quickly shifted back to humanoid form and kicked her captor, momentarily freeing herself before she felt her leg being grabbed by many small fins. With a pull, Jade tripped and fell to the ground. Just when she felt she was about to be dragged off, she felt her free hand be enveloped by another hand in a tight hold.

"I got you!" Khal grunted, pulling with all of his strength to stop her from being dragged away.

"Don't worry about me. Just get to the basket!" Jade shouted.

"No-" Khal's feet slid across the floor a little, but he quickly recovered, firmly planting himself and not moving an inch. "I'm not leaving a coworker behind! We could deliver the eggs and beat these guys if we stay together!"

"There's always next time, Khal! We're in no position to fight back, you need to- AAHHHH!"

The boy's efforts ended up being in vain, as with a great collective tug, the Salmonids managed to rip Jade away from Khal's grasp. The arm he held moments ago quickly disappeared, and he could only clutch the rubber glove that slipped away from it's wearer during the tug. The girl landed in the sandbar, and the Salmonids quickly formed a circle around her.

Jade thrashed and flailed around in an attempt to push her attackers back, however that too ended up being in vain. A chum suddenly lunged at her and bit her arm, it's snaggled teeth digging deep into the inkling's flesh and even drawing some ink, before being violently thrown away by a wave of Jade's arm. The rest of the Salmonids rushed her all at once, beating her up until she splatted.

Khal stared at his partner's painful elimination, and then to the world around him in disbelief. The Marooner's Bay was soaked in putrid green, and nearly every square inch of it was occupied by the various scaly, squirming, grotesque fishes that terrorized Khal and his coworkers in the last few minutes.

In that moment, Khal realized that his partner was right and mentally berated himself for not heeding her words sooner. If only he'd been more careful and didn't drag his teammates into his problems, then none of this would've happened!

From the corner of his eye, Khal noticed a small green cylinder flying towards him and quickly jumped out of the way as it hit the ground. Several more missiles were launched into the air, each consecutive impact along with the advancing hordes pushing Khal back more and more.

Out of desperation, Khal threw his one egg at the basket's hatch just before a missile hit the ground, it's blast wave sending Khal back. He skidded on the metal surface until there was no more ground. Nevertheless, the boy managed to grab onto the ledge with both of his hands just before he fell to the waters below.

Khal struggled to pull himself up, and when he almost did he wished he never looked up. A few moments ago, if he were smart and played his cards just right, he might've stood a chance against the seemingly endless Salmonids with the help of his partners. Now?

Any shred of hope or opportunity for a comeback went right out the window. Enemies were plentiful, coworkers were defeated and helplessly hopping around in their lifesavers, and his only means of defense was surely lost to the tainted sea. Khal glanced to the beach below and witnessed the last of the golden eggs being taken away by the blue-haired snatchers. One of them even noticed him and sent him a mocking gesture before diving into the sea with its prize.

With a sigh and a deep frown, Khal turned his sights to the bow of the ship once again, and saw a gathering of Salmonids bashing and clawing into the basket almost mindlessly. To Khal, it seemed as if all hope was lost and the current shift would end in failure for him and his partners, until he turned his attention to the basket. He noticed that it was stuffed full of golden eggs, but more importantly was it's antenna; The tip of it was shining a bright green.

Success! Despite all their struggles, the team still managed to collect enough eggs to fulfill quota! Khal's face instantly brightened up, and his surprise was so great he involuntarily gasped.

Unfortunately, his sound just so happened to be loud enough for the Salmonids to hear, and in doing so gained their attention. A few of them swam slowly towards him, a Cohock raising it's frying pan up in the air, ready to strike. Khal closed his eyes and awaited his end…

But nothing came. Not when a certain jingle played across the island. Khal opened his eyes and saw the basket retreat back into it's compartment and the Salmonids that were about to splat him were instead retreating to the sea. One by one, each fish in the area dived into the water and disappeared, until none remained. The Marooner's Bay was completely clear of any Salmonids.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Khal tried pulling himself up once more, but inadvertently slipped and lost his grip on the edge. Khal screamed his lungs out as he fell towards the tainted sea, he screamed so much he didn't hear a series of beeps come out of his lifesaver's transmitter.

The other scattered lifesavers also emitted the same beeping noise, and all three of them jumped high into the air and back into the boat that brought them here. It also affected Khal, making him involuntarily turn into his squid form. He repositioned himself upward, and just as he touched the burning water, he was launched into the air and eventually landed in the white and red boat, just as it was departing.

When all was said and done, the boat slowly sailed away from the derelict vessel, back to it's home. Silence gripped the land in that moment, and the Marooner's Bay found peace and quiet once more.

* * *

Author's Notes

 **Hey there.**

 **Thank you for taking your time to read this little story I came up with. Might not show it much, but I appreciate it. Hope you enjoy...**

 **Reviews would be nice, and if there's anything that could be improved I'd like to know. Though, I'd also like to give you, the reader, a little warning if you're expecting this story to be continued:**

 **Don't expect frequent updates.**

 **Many things get in the way of my little life, which means that this won't get updated and continue as much as I want it to. It also means that you won't see this as much. All you have to know is that it will be a long time before a new chapter is posted. I can assure you that...**


	2. Unusual Behavior (Part 1)

"Seriously? What were you thinking back there?"

"I'm sorry, okay?! I just didn't think we would.. would've been cornered like that…"

"'Sorry' doesn't cut it, pal."

Jade leaned on the rewards counter of Grizzco, her head resting on her left hand, and looked at the duo of arguing boys with faint interest. Not even a few minutes after they arrived from their 'victory' against the Salmonids, Salem started ranting about their mistakes and how everything went wrong in their shift. She found it to be a minor inconvenience when his lecture began, but even as they headed out to the familiar square the fair-skinned inkboy continued with his scolding, now directly addressing the smaller and downcast Khal.

Needless to say, she was starting to find it grating.

Jade desperately wanted to take her mind off the boys' arguing, but it was so close and loud that she couldn't block out the sounds. Jade groaned, turning her attention to the counter with half-lidded eyes. Perhaps the arrival of her prizes could help distract her, but she really wasn't counting on it. For now, all she could focus on were the distant chatter and movement of Inkopolis Square's residents and the incessant conflict between Salem and the other two inklings.

"I'm just saying that if we stayed together and didn't run off because of a few missiles, we would've actually won," Salem said, shaking his head in the process.

"Duuuuuude," The sitting Yzel drawled, "Does it matter? We got enough eggs and one of us survived to the end. That's a win in my book."

"Would've gotten more if we all survived, but to each his own."

A quick, buzzing tune caught the quartet's attention. Anticipation grew in Jade's heart, and the retracting of the metal door caused her to perk up. A smile was starting to form in her mouth, and anticipation turned into joy as soon as her eyes noticed the translucent, multicolored orbs that emerged from the shadows.

"Hey, guys," The inkgirl started, "Instead of whining about how we should've all lived, why don't we celebrate?!" Jade proposed before pulling out various capsules from the counter, just barely able to hold them all in her diminutive hands.

Khal was the first to react, responding with a fast and nearly unintelligible "Gimme!" and dashing to the counter in an instant, also leaving behind a puff of smoke that was only noticed by Yzel. Khal excitedly grabbed as many of the reward capsules as he could, holding thirteen or so of the items close to his chest in a pseudo-hug. Unfortunately, it was not enough to contain them all, as some of the orbs fell off from his grasp. With a small gasp, the boy crouched in order to grab them until he noticed Salem facing him, holding his palm straight out towards him.

"Stop," he commanded, "I got 'em." He knelt down and carefully picked up each of the stray balls, eventually getting them all and placing them in his bag. Without skipping a beat, the inkling approached the counter to look for his own prize, however his stance faltered when it was nowhere to be seen. A stammer coming from Khal caught his attention, and when he turned towards him he saw the dark inkboy holding out a yellow prize ball towards him, still holding his own rewards with his other arm.

"Yours," Khal simply noted, a small smile plastered on his face. Salem raised an eyebrow at first, but quickly relaxed and snatched the orb from the smaller inkboy.

"Oh, those look nice," Yzel said, standing up. He, too, would've neared the counter to claim his rewards, yet as soon as he stepped forward, his legs wobbled and buckled under him. Yzel was left to fall face-first to the floor, smacking the stone ground with a loud thud.

Jade was shocked at first, and rushed over to Yzel's side to check on him. What happened to him? Was he hurt? These questions along with some others were running through Jade's mind as she rolled Yzel over and tried to help him. Despite the increased aching in his body following this mishap, the male reassured Jade with a weak "I'm okay". The girl still had some doubts in spite of this…

"Are you sure?" Jade drawled, her mouth lowering into a frown.

"Yeah, it's nothing," Yzel brushed off with a wave of his arm, "just that those Salmonids **really** pack a punch sometimes… But enough about that! This is about a celebration, no?" Quickly and suddenly, Yzel straightened up into a sitting position.

"That's right!" Jade nodded, subsequently placing herself between Khal and Salem and wrapping her arms around said inklings. "Here's to a job well done **and** to the best salmon runners ever!"

The quartet cheered, all but Salem pumping their fists in the air. Even then, he expressed his satisfaction with a smile and a small hum.

Happiest of all was Khal, still hugging all of his prize capsules and in Jade's hold. "This is so nice! Thanks a lot, you guys!"

"Aw, it's nothing," Jade replied, "Nice distraction of yours, by the way!"

"Distraction..?" The small inkling tilted his head.

"The plan. You distracted the Steelhead long enough for me to splat it when it wasn't looking."

"But you never told me about it…" Khal pouted, his shoulders hunching over.

"I.. didn't want you trying too hard at distracting it. Might have ruined the plan for being too obvious," Jade shrugged, quickly apologizing over her mistake.

"O-Ok."

Suddenly, Khal felt a tug on his pink hoodie and before he knew it, his feet left the ground and he was lifted into the air. He flailed his limbs in a fit of panic, inadvertently letting go of the prize capsules he held. They all clattered to the floor uselessly.

"Nevermind that; How'd a smallbean like you outrun those buggers back there?" Yzel pondered, his leaning body and tanned hand still dangling Khal by the fabric of his hoodie.

"Hey! I'm not small, just… shorter than you!" The smaller inkboy pouted.

"Shorter than everyone else," Salem chimed in flatly.

"Well, you're grumpy!"

Unamused, Salem merely shrugged his shoulders at the reply.

Fed up with the squids' taunting, Khal shook himself off from Yzel's grasp. He then scrambled to pick up the scattered orbs, holding as many as he could in his hands and grumbling something all the while.

"Is something wrong, Khal?" Jade asks.

"Urgh, I'm still missing one reward from the chart," Khal moaned with his head down.

"You can always get it next time, okay?" Jade reassured, putting a hand on his shoulder. Her words triggered something in Khal, who perked up after hearing Jade.

The dark inkboy opened his mouth as if to say something but hesitated. Jade and the others looked at Khal curiously, causing him to yelp and freeze in his tracks. Precious seconds passed as he twiddled his thumbs and looked nervously at his taller colleagues, until finally he spoke up.

"Could we do another shift? Right now, I mean."

The three inklings looked at him with a range of emotions on their faces. Salem had a discontent and tired demeanor, having crossed his arms and narrowed his orange eyes, while Yzel looked at him quizzically with a raised eyebrow. Jade held a blank expression on her face, managing to hide her true feelings from the inkboy and her other two partners. Somehow, even after the various tribulations they faced in their previous shifts, he was still willing to partake in another one? It seemed like a dumb and needless endeavor, but a part of Jade was surprised yet again at this boy's enthusiasm.

"Well-"

"We just spent the entire afternoon doing nothing but fighting Salmonids, and you **still** want to keep going?"

"I-I mean, we made a pretty good team back there, so I figured you were ready for another round and since I needed one more capsule maybe… that's a no, right?"

Salem sighed exasperatedly, furrowing his brow. "Listen,we had fun, we won, we lost, it was a good run, but.. There are times when someone seriously needs to stop."

"Aww c'mon, Salem, don't give up just yet. This could be fun!" Jade encouraged, earning a nod from Khal.

"It was fun, yes, but I'm tired. Have places to be and other things to do. Enjoy yourselves if you want," The stern Inkling readjusted the cuffs of his blue, striped Vintage Check shirt and put on over his head the zebra-styled Hickory Work Cap.

He stepped away and turned from the trio of inklings, yet as he was about to wave them goodbye, he was inexplicably faced with a nervous Khal looking up at him, phone in hand.

"Wait, before you go, can I get your number? You know, incase you wanna team up?"

Salem said nothing and merely shrugged, before pulling out his phone.

With arms crossed, Jade gazed at the two inklings. Even as the tall, rigid inkling finished his exchange and walked stiffly and without hesitation away from them, the younger, more excitable squid kept egging on him and stopping him in his tracks for the smallest things. Jade caught snippets of their exchange, like Khal asking the taller squid about his hobbies or dislikes, or Salem repeatedly brushing off any of his pleas to stay, until finally he kneeled down to his level and said.. something to Khal. Jade could only imagine what unnecessary and demanding 'advice' he would be receiving from Salem. How Khal could put up with such a bossy and rude inkling was beyond her, and her mind was already starting to fume with rage with only meres thoughts fueling it.

" _Seriously, what's his problem? Sorry if not everything went exactly like you wanted, Mr. Perfect, I was trying to have fun. If I hear one more complaint coming from his stinking mouth, I'll choke him, wring his neck twice and rip out his tentacles!_

...

...

… _Wait, what?"_

She didn't realize she was growling until a glance at a puzzled Yzel brought her back to reality. In that moment, all her angry and violent fantasies were swept away by a tide of embarrassment. The female inkling could only cover her face in a feeble attempt to hide her emotions.

Feeling a small weight on her right shoulder, she moved her hands away from her face and looked forwanrd to see Yzel gripping her shoulder, his fingers' hold creating small wrinkles in her white V-Neck t-shirt.

"I feel ya," Yzel comforted, "That guy irks me too sometimes. Probably has his reasons, but still.."

It was only when Yzel finished and let go of his grip that Jade noticed he managed to move a few inches away from her during his rambling, even with his quivering, bruised legs.

"You're leaving too?" Jade's question caught Yzel by surprise, and despite his attempts to come up with a coherent answer, the tan inkling was helpless to do anything but trip over his words. Thankfully, he managed to stop himself from committing further blunders and breathed heavily before answering.

"You three seem like a nice bunch, and trust me, I'd love to go another round with you guys, but honestly.. I'm beat. Can't really go run-'n-ink with these jello legs now, can I?" Yzel chuckled.

"You said it was nothing."

"Mostly nothing. Though, I don't understand how you're still here even with that nasty bite you took."

Jade was puzzled at first, but a glance at her right wrist was all it took for the events of the last shift to replay in her head. She brought her bandaged, ink-soaked wrist up and stared at it for a moment, before showing it to the tanned inkboy. "This? Oh, it's nothing. The medic said that this wouldn't hurt too much as long as I don't get in contact with large amounts of ink, so I should be fine."

"And you're going to stay and do **exactly** the opposite, right?"

"Don't be silly. Unless it's a boss, no Salmonid ever attacks anyone with their ink. As long as I keep my distance and avoid their attacks, I should be able to take care of myself no problem."

"Sure, whatever floats your boat. Just don't get mad when it turns out you were wrong," Yzel taunted with a smug smile and a wink.

Jade leaned back, but quickly relaxed once the full meaning of his words registered in her head. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a dare on Yzel's part, and she wasn't going to let a tiny bite scare her away from practicing her hobby. Swiftly, she leaned closer to the tanned inkling and poked her finger on his nose. "And don't you get mad when it turns out that I was fine."

"Fair enough," Yzel acknowledged, gently moving the female's finger away from his face.

A low hum caught both inklings' attention. They jerked their heads toward its source and saw Khal walking towards them. He appeared normal at a glance, but a deeper look at features like his drooped ears, small frown or slightly downcast purple eyes could be interpreted as signs of disappointment.

"Hi, you two," Khal half-heartedly greeted, "I talked with Salem and.. he's not staying with us."

"Figures… But that's okay, we could go another round if you'd like!" Jade smiled.

"Really?"

Jade nodded, giving the dark boy a thumbs up. She managed to raise his spirits a little, with Khal thanking her and cheering as appreciation, but even that seemed a little… forced to her. She could tell that he was still bothered by Salem's departure, and could never understand as to why. Who's ever sad when a jerk leaves?

"Have fun with that, you two," Yzel said. Khal was left confused, but Jade knew exactly what that meant, almost sadly.

"Wait, you're leaving, too?" Khal asked.

"Eh, there's not much left for me to do. Besides, it'd be a waste of energy trying to- Gah!" Once again, Yzel's trembling legs buckled under him, and he fell and collided into the pavement. His prize capsules also scattered in various directions. "...See what I mean?"

"Oh.. bye, I guess.."

"Sheesh, it's not as if I'll disappear," Yzel sat up, "Look, it might seem like the end of our little get-together, but that doesn't necessarily mean goodbye forever. In due time, I'm certain we'll cross paths again, my friend. Greetings and farewells have always been a part of this place and in general. As people come and go in our lives, I guess the only thing we can do is keep calm and… move forward with them. Carry our memories of them, until somehow, someday we meet those people again…"

"That's… wow…"

To hear such words from a squid like Yzel was jarring, to say the least. Jade wished to believe that in that moment, the tanned boy was briefly possessed by an otherworldly spirit who wished to impart his knowledge onto them, but obviously such a bizarre and fantastical situation would never be possible. With closed eyes and furrowed brows, she found it hard to believe that the deeper voice tone, serious demeanor and straight face all belonged to the same inkling that did nothing but fool around and complain mere minutes ago. Was that all an act earlier? Does he know more than he lets on? What is his goal, really?

While the message itself was nothing inherently evil and might be something to practice in the future, Jade had trouble trusting Yzel and feared that he might be another two-faced deceiver. He seemed like a nice guy, if nothing else…

"Welp, that's it for today. It was nice hanging out with you guys," Yzel said, his carefree and relaxed demeanor resurfacing as quickly as it disappeared. The trio of inklings then exchanged goodbyes, and the remaining pair watched as their companion departed, his legs quivering with every step taken.

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes**_

 **I told you to not expect frequent updates, didn't I?**

 **Hello, again. To those that did take the time to read the prologue, I say thank you. I also thank the one review left here, though a more detailed write-up would be appreciated (I still would like to know more about my writing, including it's flaws). In any case, here's another chapter, the one that could be considered the proper beginning of my little story.**

 **I am wondering about the ideal length for each update I make. The full chapter is still not wholly finished, admittedly, and am putting out this first half as an experiment (Also admittedly due to my haste in posting new content). I'll likely upload the other half and later merge them, or leave the two halves as is. But if any reader can, please provide feedback on the length of chapters moving forward, and which do you prefer. Again, thank you for taking the time to read this.**

 **Until next time...**


	3. Unusual Behavior (Part 2)

From the ramp that led to the Grizzco gate, Jade sat and overlooked all of Inkopolis Square. The hub was caught in the same warm glow of the evening as the Marooner's Bay was, the sky remaining a deep orange with hints of pink all across it. The cephalopods roaming the place were as cheerful as they've always been, though the number of players in the square was lower than usual. The atmosphere may not be as lively as it was when she first started her shifts, but Jade still found it pleasant. She basked in the sunset and let the nearby aroma of food fill her nostrils. It didn't matter what outside event was happening, for a few moments Jade reveled in and was grateful for the newfound peace and relaxation she achieved.

The same could not be said for the other inkling.

Jade started hearing loud, tapping footsteps that were getting closer and closer, and soon, from the corner of her eye, she saw Khal sit on the ramp alongside her. From his slouched shoulders to his deep frown, he appeared bummed out, moreso than earlier.

"Aren't you gonna leave?" Khal addressed the taller girl, "There's better things to do than sit around with me."

"What are you talking about? Don't tell me you already forgot what I told you!"

"No, it's just.. Forget it," Khal stood up, only for Jade to drag him back down. He looked sadly at the girl, confused by her action.

"Nuh-uh, We're staying here if you keep that face!"

"Yeah, right. I'm not needed.."

"What's gotten into you? Where did the eager and happy Khal go?"

"I guess he disappeared.."

Jade didn't know how to react or respond. After all that happened, the inkboy was now saddened, and for the life of her she couldn't understand why. Nevermind that, she had no clue on how to lift his spirits. No clue at all, until suddenly an idea popped into her head. She leaned closer and whispered something into his ear. What she proposed managed to revitalize Khal, who listened intently at everything the inkgirl said.

"That sounds nice, but-"

"No 'buts'," Jade interjected, putting a finger on Khal's lips. After some pondering, he nodded and leapt up, filled with confidence and determination once more.

"Nevermind. Let's do this!"

"That's the spirit!" Jade grinned. She quickly pulled on her gloves and her basic headband over her head, "I know for a fact that we are gonna sweep over the competition!"

* * *

On the blocky, rectangular central area of Inkblot Art Academy's Turfing campus, Jade was busy dodging a barrage of suction bombs, courtesy of her inkling opponent. She weaved her way through and around the proyectiles, sidestepping and hopping over and under them with ease. These fast and graceful movements along with her Dapple Dualies' dodge-rolling abilities allowed her to close in on the frantic inkling, who decided to haphazardly fire their main weapon once their special attack ended with no reward for their efforts.

"STOP MOVING AND LET ME **HIT** YOU!" The inkling bellowed.

"No can do, sweetie ~" Jade replied, throwing a capsule of toxic mist at her opponent. They were too busy coughing and stumbling out of the gas' radius to properly avoid Jade's salvo of ink, and the inkling was promptly splatted. The inkgirl giggled maliciously at her opponent's departing ghost, satisfied with her work. She didn't notice another inkling sneaking up behind her, revving up their splatling. Before the spinning barrel fired, the splatling inkling was hit by multiple slashes and globs of ink, quickly bursting into yellow ink once their body couldn't handle anymore.

When Jade finally became aware of the commotion and turned around, she saw Khal standing over the discarded clothes of the splatling user, looking fixatedly at the ground. It was only when he felt Jade's eyes watching him that he broke out of his stupor and returned to his usual self and greeted Jade with a small wave.

She returned the greeting with a thumbs up of her own and a grin. Khal opened his mouth, but couldn't make any sound due to the sudden yelling of one of their teammates through their radio.

"Ye better stop whatever sentimental **garbage** you're doing and get here now! We'll lose da Rainmaker!" His words were enough to bring the two inklings' focus back to the match at hand. They nodded, and together headed towards their objective and the opponents holding it, determined to claim victory at all costs.

* * *

Khal faced off against a duo of Roller users in the curved pathways of Humpback Pump Track, dodging and parrying their swings with his Inkbrush while also creating as much distance as possible between them. He eventually met up with his other teammates, Jade included, and helped them carry the rainmaker. They were advancing without much trouble, until suddenly the rollers from earlier jumped out of their purple ink and splatted one of Khal's teammates.

"Khal, defend the rainmaker!" Jade ordered, already facing off against one of the enemy rollers. Inmediately Khal sprang into action, blocking the other roller's swing. For some reason, he smirked, and Khal quickly discerned why when a crashing sound of a direct hit rang out. The boy saw that his other teammate disappeared and the rainmaker was neutral again, surrounded by it's protective barrier.

The rainmaker's shield exploded once again, and Khal and Jade were caught in it's purple blast. They respawned along with their teammates, and while the other two inklings rushed ahead, Khal stopped in his tracks after listening to a sudden and unnervingly animalistic growl, quickly realizing it was coming from Jade with only a glance towards her. Without a word, she headed off towards their opponents, Khal hesitantly following behind.

Unsurprisingly, the ally inklings were quickly splatted, and the enemies were closer to the goal. Khal lunged at him, but the rainmaker carrier sidestepped and let Khal crash into the ground. The carrier cackled as he dashed towards the green goal.

Jade's anger flared up, and without thinking she swiped her leg under the carrier, tripping him. As a result, the rainmaker slipped from their grasp and tumbled and rolled over close to the goal. Without skipping a beat, Jade splatted the downed inkling and jumped back towards the rainmaker, picking it up and preparing to charge.

"What- Is that even legal?!"

"Who cares?! Just shoot-AAGH!"

The remaining opponents were all caught in the rainmaker's blast and splatted, their discarded gear sinking into the patch of green ink. Khal saw Jade silently run deeper into the stage, weirded out by her actions. One question was prevalent through his mind: Just what happened to Jade?

* * *

Ink was flung on every direction, coating the wooden central deck of the Manta Maria in splotches of blue and pink. While various inklings duked it out over the rainmaker, Jade remained hidden in one of the side platforms and continuously threw Poison Mist cans to assist her teammates. She would've joined them and aided in the pushing of the rainmaker, but a particularly distracting smell that entered her nose stopped her from doing so. It was strong and foul, and no matter how much she tried to ignore it, the sensation was too much to bear.

It got to the point where she had to turn back into her humanoid self and cover her nose just to slightly block it out, and even that action barely worked. Just what was causing that disgusting stench, anyway?

Unfortunately for Jade, it got worse. Unbeknownst to her, ripples in the blue ink crept closer to her position and the smell simultaneously got stronger. Just as the hidden enemy jumped out of their ink, Jade instinctively fired at them without hesitation. The inkling was gone for now, and with him the foul smell instantly disappeared. Odd…

Even when she joined the battle proper, not only did she faintly feel the foul stench, but various other odors as well, flowing and dancing in and out of her nostrils. Some were more pleasant, others more repugnant. Outwardly, the inkgirl was set on winning this match alongside her new acquaintance, but inside she was deeply confused and fascinated by this new feeling.

* * *

" _C'mon, squid.. come on, just get a little closer…_ "

Jade was once again hiding in her ink, near the elevated bridge on the Reef. She watched as a nearby player fought one of her teammates, slowly veering(change later) closer to her position. When he was backed to the inflatable lime-green box's wall, Jade popped out and leaped at him.

"Haha, Take this!" With few rapid shots, the opponent burst into a shower of lime green ink. "Nice one!" She giggled, flashing a thumb up at the lime green inkling. Jade continued swimming around the map, splatting any opponent she came across as the match progressed. Each splat she obtained brought her more and more joy, and she found herself brimming with excitement just by thinking about the ways she could eliminate her foes. She broke into a fit of laughter, and try as she might, Jade was unable to stifle her own hums of pleasure. Oh, it will be so fun when she chases her next target!

Yes, another of her opponents jumped down from their spawn platform and landed directly in front of her, almost as if begging to be splatted. Jade was all too happy to oblige. He lunged at her with his roller and swung, a hasty and foolish action that Jade easily dodged. She dashed towards the inkling and fired, yet no sooner had she closed in on him than the slimy brat ran away from her. A mere delay from his inevitable end..

After a short chase to the lower grass lot, Jade found that the coward had joined up with his companions, and were fighting against her teammates for possession of the golden Rainmaker. Jade was sure that even with his teammates' protection, the male inkling would never escape her.

"I'm not done with you yet, chicken! Get back here!" The seething Jade shouted, letting out a few cackles. The poor inkling was swiftly caught by the inkgirl and slammed in the ground, screaming in agony as they were promptly splatted and burst into a puddle of lime green ink.

This caught the attention of all players, ceasing their confrontation and turning their heads to the source of the screaming.

"Heheheh, what's wrong? Nervous about a little ink?" Jade dementedly slurred, standing hunched over the opponent's discarded gear. All players were left speechless, and the purple inklings backed away involuntarily, which just made Jade chuckle again.

"Don't wanna dip your toes in it?" She cooed, "That's fine… I CAN GIVE YOU A LITTLE PUSH!"

Jade leapt into the fray with a feral cry, forcing the inklings to move aside and proceeding to chase the purple team. Her teammates looked on, baffled by the girl's attitude, Khal showing concern on his face.

Jade laughed madly, her white Bubble Rain Boots kicking up ink as she ran and leapt after the purple team, snagging and splatting every member but one. She strode towards the remaining Inkling and rushed him, however he quickly reacted and fired a line of ink that made contact with her left arm. Jade let out a loud, pained scream and crumpled to the floor, clutching her wrist.

Indescribable amounts of pain overwhelmed Jade as she continued to writhe and squirm. The attacker rushed to her side and attempted to help her, but that coupled with his apologies did little to make up for the sleight against the girl. Her agony morphed into anger, and when the purple inkling touched her scar, Jade snapped.

With a furious roar, the inkgirl flipped over and slammed her provoker into the ground, then proceeded to mindlessly beat him to a pulp. Even when the rest of the players stepped in to break up the fight, their combined strength barely managed to restrain Jade.

"Jade, please stop! We won, you don't have to fight him anymore!" Khal's plea fell on deaf ears, however, for the girl still struggled against her binds. The scene only ended when a loud whistle rang out and was able to snap Jade out of her rage. She looked around confusedly until she set her sights on the badly beaten and crippled inkling, eyes widening in turn.

"What..-"

"Ya turned 'im into squid paste, that's what you did!"

Jade was struck speechless, and fearfully looked between the injured, almost liquified one and her horror-struck teammates along with the recently arrived Judd. Any excuses she might've uttered were meaningless now, and Jade was at a loss for words.

"I didn't mean to, I-!"

Jade was cut off by the puffy cat's meowing, and after a minute of harsh-sounding yowls and meows, the bipedal feline along with his smaller clone raised a red flag and pointed it toward her and Khal's direction. The boy whined disappointedly, and Jade could only look down in shame. They have been kicked out of the rotation...

* * *

Dusk had settled in the Square when the pair of inklings walked out of the Deca Tower, neither saying a word. While Khal looked normal and unbothered by their disqualification, Jade was deep in thought. The events at the Reef were still fresh in her mind, and no matter how much she tried, she couldn't wrap her head around them, most specifically her behavior. She had never acted that way before, never been so filled with euphoria and ecstasy at the act of splatting other players, so driven to hunt them down that all other thought processes were overriden and forgotten. Never consumed by so much blind rage at a singular person… and even then, all they did was shoot at her wrist!

Jade brought her bandaged arm up, gazing at the scar on her wrist. It's been throbbing ever since she ended her shift, moreso after the League rotation, and her mood swings and odd sensations didn't appear until after she received the bite. This mark was no ordinary injury, that much was clear to Jade, but why did it have such weird effects on her?

"Jade?" Khal asked, grabbing the girl's attention, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah… Sorry for what happened, Khal. I.. don't know what came over me back there…"

"Ah, it's okay. I don't mind being kicked out once!" Khal shrugged, "But even so, we kicked butt in all the other matches!"

"We sure did. Glad to have made you happy," Jade smiled warmly at Khal. The boy thanked her, but also noticed that her smile didn't look very genuine. Khal quickly saw through Jade's facade.

"Hey… it's okay, ya know? Don't think about the bite too much."

"I'm probably a faker to you, aren't I?"

"Huh?! What are you saying, you were pretty cool on those matches! I've never seen someone so skilled with dualies before!"

"There are more players, but… I'm flattered.." A yellow blush was starting to form on Jade's cheeks.

"Anyways, I know that your injury will be healed up without any problems, so let's relax for the moment, ok?"

Jade nodded. After discussing other topics while moving along the sidewalks farther away from Inkopolis Square, they reached a crosswalk and bid goodbye to each other, due to unexpected circumstances on his end.

"Hey Jade?" Khal said as he got inside an orange taxi, "Can we be friends?"

"...Of course we can. If you need anything, just let me know!" Jade cheered. They clapped their hands together in a high-five, and the taxi drove-off into the sunset.

Friends… It's been a long time since Jade knew what having them felt like…

* * *

Once she had set down all of her gear in her closet, Jade sat down on her blue bed, stripped down to her black undershirt and shorts. She slipped off her bandage and stared at the green bite wound on her left wrist, which had strangely sealed up on it's own?

"What?" Jade rubbed the wound, consequently feeling a twinge of pain on her entire arm, along with a sudden anger. However, both were momentary and disappeared as instantly as they emerged. This wound wouldn't stop acting up, and only seemed to be throbbing more and more, all because of her neglect. Maybe She shouldn't have kept going on Ink matches, maybe she should've listened to the medic, maybe it would've been easier if she just left the boys, maybe-

" _No, you're worrying too much. It's just a bite with a few weird symptoms, nothing out of the ordinary. Just go to the doctor tomorrow and tell him about it, and everything will be worked out from there,_ " She reassured herself, though her own words did little to ease her concerns.

With a huff and a brief massage of her temples, Jade tucked in her bed and allowed the warm and sweet embrace of sleep to overwhelm her.

As the night progressed, Jade's dreams were corrupted into shadowy nightmares, and by midnight, she was tossing and turning in her slumber. Her limbs laid splayed out, the afflicted arm twitching erratically while under the influence of the nightmare. From below the curtains, pale moonlight seeped into the room, and illuminated part of the bed and her body. However, as soon as the light shone upon her afflicted arm, the wound glowed and pulsed, causing the sleeping girl to gasp and spasm for a brief moment. Jade groaned as she subconsciously felt her body tremble uncontrollably and beads of sweat trickling down all over her skin. Amidst the searing pain and even in her dreams, Jade was oblivious to the symptoms affecting her body in deeper ways..

Her hands convulsed and trembled violently, skin turning gray and a sticky goop forming between her fingers. It's layers grew until tiny tendrils of the slimy substance shot between and latched onto her fingers, joining, expanding and solidifying until they were all tied together by translucent yellow-ish webs. Pressure and pain built up in the tips of her fingers, until sharp claws tore through the flesh. Reflexively, Jade's hands gripped the sheets tightly as they grew and shifted until they, combined with the claws and webbing, resembled something more befitting an aquatic creature.

Her feet experienced a similar mutation, individual toes being seamed together by webs and gray talons bursting from them, all the while they grew and changed into monstrous, aquatic forms.

Jade's breathing quickened, and the girl twitched as her muscles grew and swelled in seconds all over her body, straining the fabric of her garments. Gray continued to spread, overtaking the soft white skin and taking on a rougher, harder texture, with scales even forming on the changed limbs. Jade grunted when she felt a peculiar pressure build up at the end of her spine, until a salmon tail broke free and tore through the shorts.

The changing girl involuntarily moaned and yelped in pain as her body continued to swell and shift, until her head was assaulted with a constant surge of pain. All at once, gills emerged in her neck, ears broke apart and reformed with webbed skin, teeth split and grew into fangs, tentacles dissolved into green ink and fell off, with orange strands growing in their place and forming kelp-like 'hair' along with a mohawk 'fin', all the while the last remnants of normal skin were swallowed by the gray.

Jade subconsciously felt as if her head was about to explode, for on the outside world the inkling's face slowly pushed forward little by little, nose becoming pointy as well. Her groans deepened into animalistic growls, and with a final push, her face elongated into a small fish-like snout, it's sickening snap rousing the changed girl from sleep.

She looked around frantically and calmed down once she recognized her room. Her gasps for air were heavy and raspy as she regained her bearings on the physical world.

" _Just a dream, oh thank goodness. I'm not underwater, and certainly not being ripped apart by Salmonids. Though.. why do I feel so…_

 _Are my fingers glued together? Why does everything look so clearer if it's still night?_

 _Wait.. I smell something… It's actually really nice..!_ "

The female prowled closer to the window, letting a sweet aroma fill her small nostrils. She sniffed repeatedly until she managed to trace the odor to something down in the streets. Something moving and gelatinous-like.. Living prey! Even from afar it looked so…

" _So, so delicious… I... I'm..._ "

...

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Little fact: These first 3 uploads were all going to be one chapter originally, but I couldn't help but stretch and lengthen things out, sometimes more than it is really needed..**

 **Still appreciate any visits and favorites/follows from fellow readers, but it feels like no one's really reading this. Not when there are any reviews, that is. My ego would say this means that the story is of acceptable quality to some of you, but that's clearly not the case for all..**

 **And if my spread out and hopefully-not-vague descriptions of the characters' physical features were too confusing to keep track of, I'll spell them out here incase you'd like to have a clear-cut reference to them, good reader. Here:**

 **\- Jade: Standard white skin, dark green eyes, yellow Tentacles in the 3rd Female Hairstyle (bun tie). Clothes consist of White Headband, White V-Neck Tee, 5th legwear option (loose shorts) and Bubble Rain Boots**

 **\- Khal: Dark skin, purple eyes, orange tentacles in the 2nd male hairstyle (spiky). Clothes consist of Squidlife Headphones (only in Turf War), Pink Hoodie, 2nd Legwear male option (short pants with inner leggings) and Moist Ghillie Boots**

 **-Salem: Fair skin, orange eyes, blue tentacles in the 6th male hairstyle (swept bangs). Clothes consist of Hickory Work Cap, Vintage Check Shirt, jean pants and Orca Hi-Tops.**

 **-Yzel: Tan skin, gray eyes, lime green tentacles in the classic male hairstyle. Clothes consist of a green Striped Beanie, Matcha Down Jacket, baggy shorts and Squid-Stitch Slip-Ons.**

 **If there's anything of note about my writing, please leave a review (Though most of you likely won't..)and hopefully you enjoyed this. Sorry if some parts seem a little rushed.**

 **Until next time...**


	4. An Intruder's Trail

The full moon sat high in the night sky, overlooking the darkened city of Inkopolis. Gusts of air travelled and swept over the streets, pushing and tackling any items or persons they came into contact with, surrounding them in a cool embrace. All but a few souls have retreated to their homes, the lights inside buildings shutting off one by one, while certain lamp posts retained their warm inner light to provide aid; Checkpoints to guide any wanderers through the darkness.

One such soul, a Jellyfish commoner, was currently clearing out groups of items and trash on the pavement with their trusty broom. They sweeped and sweeped, until all the items were neatly bunched into a singular pile and promptly shoved into a trash bag. The jellyfish wiped the sweat off their head with a gelatinous limb and nodded approvingly, satisfied with their work. The only thing left to do is to throw that bag somewhere and pack up, and then they could go back to home, sweet home!

The jellyfish jumped in surprise when they suddenly heard a thud along with banging and scraping sounds, and looked around frantically in search of it's source, their round head jerking from side to side. A few tense moments of silence later, they gave up and started packing their nearby belongings. The jellyfish barely heard quick tapping sounds that somehow got louder and louder.

When all of the jellyfish's items were put away in their trusty bag, they were about to head off until the sight of a large shadow looming over them caused the jellyfish to stop in their tracks. The jelly slowly turned around, and unwittingly freezed up at the sight of a horrific monster staring down at him with bulging, angry eyes coated in yellow sclera and dark orange irises.

The jellyfish shook under the growling beast's presence, terrified and unable to even call for help, until finally the monster roared and chomped down on the helpless jellyfish.

A piercing scream echoed throughout the night; one that signalled the end of a life and the beginning of another. The beginning of a new terror…

* * *

'10/6/12018

ALL ROTATIONS AND INK BATTLES HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED TODAY

AND WILL REMAIN SO UNTIL SECURITY MAINTENANCE IS COMPLETED

HAVE A NICE DAY'

" 'Have a nice day'," Salem finished reading, "Yeah right…"

Hands in his jeans' pockets, Salem kicked a nearby soda can, departing from the Deca Tower and sitting on one of Inkopolis Square's tables.

"Sure, just up and close matches for no reason without notice. Great idea, that will definitely not bite you back.." The inkling grumbled, groaning and burying his face in his hands. His day just had to start off on the wrong foot because of some dumb 'maintenance'. Now he couldn't even participate in his hobby and one of his main sources of income!

"Something bothering ya, squiddo?" Salem perked up at hearing the unmistakably familiar voice.

Crusty Sean was peeking at him curiously from his truck, various ingredients and condiments littered on the outside of the vehicle.

"No-well yes but-..." Salem tripped over his words, facepalming once again with a groan.

"Relax, kid. Plenty others have been feeling down lately. Come 'ere," Crusty Sean said, beckoning Salem with his claw. The inkling reluctantly complied, dragging his legs towards the truck.

"To tell ya the truth, s'been a slow day for me, too. Not many customers came here as a result of the maintenance. Heck, us vendors didn't know a thing until right before we opened shop!"

"But why? You can't tell me **all** stages got in a state of disrepair and required maintenance overnight."

"Not all of 'em are down… But would you wanna play in only 3 places for the entire day?" Sean asked rhetorically. Salem looked down for a moment and pondered the question, then faced Crusty Sean again, a small frown grazing his lips.

"What happened, then? This can't all be just a sick prank."

"Squiddo, if I knew, I would've told ya by now. Everyone's been giving their own two cents on this, and outta all the gossip, one rumor in particular has been very strongly passed around. It even has some evidence to support it."

Salem leaned closer to the counter, his interest piqued, and urged the prawn to continue with the uttering of a "Go on…"

"Now, I'm not sure about the details, but rumor has it that a monster sneaked around the city and caused trouble, trashing various places and splatting anyone unfortunate enough to be in it's path. Some witnesses and victims even claimed they saw the monster, saying that it resembled a bipedal, humanoid Salmonid!"

…Salem could only scrunch up his face and narrow his eyes at such a ridiculous, baseless, implausible rumor. What kind of explanation was that?

" I know it sounds sketchy," Crusty Sean assured as if expecting Salem's doubtful reaction, "And I myself find it hard to believe, but the police has already looked over some of the attacked sites, and the evidence they found gives a lotta credibility to the rumor. Ya never know if a tall tale might turn out to be entirely gibberish or hold some truth in between the lines.."

Even if what Crusty Sean said was the case, Salem couldn't help but remain baffled by this rumor. Somehow, a mysterious monster attack was the most logical explanation for the various locales of Inkopolis suddenly being damaged and in need of repairs almost overnight, when just two days ago everything seemed fine. His features relaxed once more, and the boy faced the Prawn with a look of concern.

"Again, why? There's nothing here that would be useful for the salmonids," Salem pondered, putting his elbows on the small window.

"Payback, maybe?" Sean speculated, briefly glancing to the side.

"Grizzco has been sending out employees to their territory for months and **now** they decide to get back at us? Suddenly wanting to fight in our turf?"

"If ya want answers, you're gonna hafta look somewhere else, dude. I sure as heck know nothin' that ain't what others said," Crusty Sean put his claws up and shook his head sideways. It seemed like he had no more to say, unfortunately...

"Alright then…" Salem acknowledged begrudgingly, pulling out a drink ticket and handing it to the prawn. "Thanks, Sean. I'll be sure to let you know if anything comes up."

"No sweat, man!" Crusty Sean said as he finished concocting Salem's drink and handed it over to the inkboy. Salem bid goodbye to the former shopkeeper and departed for the nearby train station, cup in hand and lips curled upwards into a small smile.

When he reached the train station, however, Salem's expression fell, and the inkboy groaned for the third time that day. For as helpful as Crusty Sean's information was on providing some explanation on what happened, Salem still had a long ways to go before uncovering the real reason for the sudden closing of the Deca Tower. A long, long ways to go until the truth was revealed…

* * *

Sipping the last of his drink, Salem turned the doorknob of his room and walked inside. It was a common gray-colored room, with various items and pieces of furniture set up in the enclosed space. A muted green couch sat near the door, with an azure-colored patterned rug placed under it. The couch faced a small Plasma TV stationed on a wide wooden drawer, and next to the TV lay two doors on opposite sides, leading to two bedrooms. To it's right layed a set of windows that displayed the city outside, and to it's left was a black desk with a laptop sitting on it, connected with a cable to an AC port on the wall. Behind the couch was a small kitchen with freezer, rows of heaters, and a counter table with some seats. Finally, at the very back of the room was a door that led to the cyan-colored bathroom, containing a medium-sized toilet and a spacious bathtub.

After throwing his cup in the trash can, Salem waddled over to the desk and sat on it's accompanying chair. Nothing out of the ordinary was on it, most notably a lamp and a silver laptop computer. Curiously, there was also a folded piece of paper on it. The inkboy grabbed it and folded the paper open, proceeding to carefully read it's contents:

'IF READ BEFORE 5 PM, IT MEANS I AM NOT AT HOME.

OFF TO ANOTHER PITCH MEETING, HOPEFULLY A GOOD ONE.

LEFT YOUR FAVORITE IN THE MICROWAVE

APOLOGIES

-CONSTANTINE'

"Figured as much…" Salem muttered. After retrieving his meal, a custom sandwich with special ingredients made by his roommate, the inkboy returned to the desk and turned his laptop on. Once the internet browser was activated, Salem scrolled through and visited various websites and articles related to the events of two nights ago. It was a thorough and exhausting search that yielded little to no real results, much to the boy's disappointment. Most of the content was either recounting the damage and state of the attacked locales, speculation and 'theories' on the cause of said damage, or repeating what Crusty Sean said about the gathered evidence.

"Good grief. Not even officials have a clue.." Salem muttered again as he massaged his temples, "What is even going on..."

Precious minutes passed as Salem thought about his search, his position, and the situation in general. Simply put, this ordeal was an uncleanable mess that no matter which way he looked at it, was impossible to ignore or fix. If only he were able to simply find the true culprit, pin the blame on them and then send them off to prison; If only things were that easy, then he wouldn't have to worry about anything ever again!

It was then that an idea entered Salem's mind after his musing. Then another, and another, until the string of ideas formed into a full-fledged plan. Suddenly and swiftly, Salem grabbed a nearby notepad and pen and began writing down names.

"Fine, then!" Salem exclaimed as he finished scribbling the names of affected locales, promptly ripping out the note, "If none of those fools won't bother to investigate the culprit behind these attacks, then I'll do it myself!"

And with that declaration, Salem was off on his way.

* * *

The inkling arrived at the first of the attacked sites, the Humpback Pump Track that is so famously used in ink battles. Not only was the turfing arena littered with scratches or torn chunks and jagged parts of it's wooden floor, but the rest of the vicinity suffered considerable damage as well. Salem strolled through the damaged and vacant cycling center, stopping at certain intervals to look around and assess the damage.

"Claw marks.." Salem muttered as he knelt down and let his fingers slide over the scratched and torn piece of machinery he was next to. It was broken and mangled beyond repair, the panels and pistons bent or ripped apart in ways that no normal cephalopod could ever do, not to mention they also bore the mentioned marks all over it's frame. "Did an animal enter here? No. There's nothing of interest for them…"

And yet, the various scratches and tears littered throughout the rest of the vicinity indicated otherwise. Salem's mind continued going in circles as he looked around the cycling track, until he was suddenly met face-to-face with… Someone.

Another was here.

They were covered from head to toe in clothing that was definitely not suitable for the current summer; an outfit that tried it's hardest to cover every inch of skin on the wearer's body. Salem was intrigued by the presence of this newcomer and called out to them, however the newcomer immediately darted out of the building without a word.

This action raised a lot of suspicion on Salem's part, and the boy felt compelled to follow this strange figure. Still, he couldn't entirely abandon his findings or his makeshift investigation, so he decided to take a chunk of torn and scratched wood along with photos of of the damaged building. As quickly and quietly as he came, Salem left the abandoned turf and cycling locale, bringing the evidence with him to places unknown.

* * *

Salem stood by and faced the doors of a moderately sized supermarket, the Mantahlek shopping center. It was a light purple-colored building with a brown cobblestone roof, and while the outside of it looked to be in a decent condition, the yellow tape blocking it's entrance and a peek through the store's blue-tinted windows implied a troubling situation inside the supermarket's halls, underneath it's pristine outer shell.

After a series of side glances and head turns to ensure no passerby would spot him, Salem quietly slipped in-between the crossing yellow tapes and entered the building. The sheer sight of the dilapidated halls stimulated a mix of shock and intrigue in the inkboy, who was unable to do much but stand and stare in awe with his mouth slightly agape.

"What the… how did this happen? Was it.. no…"

"What else have ya found, Roney?" A new voice cut through the silence, causing Salem to quietly yelp and scramble to hide in the nearest corner. He peeked through it and saw two figures wearing very particular uniforms..

"Police officers…"

Indeed, the pair of law enforcers were currently standing near a mountain of rubble and damaged items and apparently discussing something. The details didn't matter- Salem couldn't afford being caught by either of them, not when there was still so much to decipher. He straightened up from his crouching position and intended to move farther away from the officers, yet as soon as he took his first steps, Salem found he couldn't move his right foot. A downwards glance confirmed that a puddle of differently colored ink keeping it in place was the cause. He pulled his foot as hard as he could, but it simply would not budge. A grunt escaped his lips as he pulled again, one that was just loud enough for the officers to hear. Thinking quickly, he shot the small puddle with his Forge Splattershot Pro, covering it with enough of his own blue ink for Salem to free his foot and immediately hop behind a shelf, all just in time before the officers arrived to where Salem previously stood.

"That was close…" Salem thought as he breathed a sigh of relief, his gaze shifting towards the stained sole of his Orca hi-top. "That ink, though.. differently colored ink usually doesn't sting a lot, unless it's from a different race. Come to think of it, it felt very familiar, too. Almost like.."

Salem's eyes widened, and his eyes sweeped the halls until he spotted a nearby puddle of ink. A dark green, murky looking puddle that, when he made contact with it, caused the same burning sensation in his hand that he felt so many times before During his exploits at Grizzco. There was no mistaking it..

"So a Salmonid could have been the one responsible.. But nothing that I've seen points to it being humanoid. None of the Salmonids have claws or fins sharp enough to cut through wood and plastic, and if they did they definitely aren't in the shape of a hand. Or a paw. They can't even change forms or walk on legs! Unless…"

Salem shook his head, stopping himself from any further musing. The acquired evidence and a recurring rumor wasn't enough to confirm or deny anything, and he still had various other places and items to analyze. His investigation wasn't over, after all. Using a small vial he took from his room's desktop, Salem took a sample of the salmonid ink, then stored the glass container back in his pocket. The inkling then stood up and sneaked to another part of the supermarket.

Salem continued to skulk around the dilapidated halls and corridors of Mantahlek, grabbing and storing any items of interest while avoiding the police officers that continued to assess the damage. Once he felt he gathered enough evidence, the inkboy slipped away from the clueless officers one last time, and left the crime scene through the front door.

"That's another one down," Salem noted as he slipped through the yellow tape and began to briskly walk away from the supermarket, "Now I have to-..."

After so carefully and meticulously hiding from the two police officers while inside the building, it was just Salem's luck that as soon as he left and turned around, another officer would be standing right in front of him, , eyeing him with suspicion no less.

"I can explain-"

"Save it, kid. Put your hands in the air", The anthropomorphic sea horse officer ordered as he approached Salem. The policeman checked the inkling for any items he might have, and ended up pulling out nearly all the items he found in Mantahlek and Humpback, including the vial of green ink. "Taking rubble that doesn't belong to you, eh?"

"They are evidence! I was trying to-"

"Play hero?" The policeman accused, "Sorry, kid. Leave it to the professionals to deal with this. Thanks for gathering evidence, though!"

The officer departed with the gathered items, leaving a visibly annoyed Salem behind. Once the boy saw the sea horse leave in his police car, from deep within his shirt he took out another small vial containing the putrid green ink and smirked to himself. "Always helps to have a backup…"

The inkling boy stored the vial in his breast pocket and began to walk away from Mantahlek, until a peculiar sight stopped him in his tracks. It was the mysterious person from before, gazing at the ransacked store from the sidewalk. They remained like this for a few more seconds until they clenched their fists and turned away from Mantahlek. One, two, three wobbly steps were taken, when the masked person suddenly slipped and fell over. It was then that Salem intervened just in time, dashing to the person's side and catching them just before they impacted the ground. The masked figure straightened up, and with some help from Salem, managed to stand on their own two feet again.

The stranger faced Salem, their motocross nose guard concealing any expression of the face underneath. Salem still held their gloved hand gently and asked them, "You okay, man? Didn't watch where you were going for a second."

The stranger slowly nodded with their head, letting go of the boy's hand and stepping away once more. Their slow, stumbling trudge caught Salem's attention, who returned to the stranger's side in response. The masked figure, however, merely pushed him aside with a surprising amount of strength, and continued dragging their blue Moto Boots along the sidewalk.

"Okay, then…" The boy felt something was definitely off about this person. From their rigid and tiptoe-like march to the excessive and concealing clothing, to their mannerisms, suspicious was a worthy label for them. No real person walked in that manner, not unless they felt extreme pain or sickness, and the fact that they never uttered a sound was certainly odd. He also doubted anyone in their right mind would wear things like a navy eminence jacket-trenchcoat, a baggy fur-lined hat or black gloves during summer. All three of them at once, along with boots, a visor and a mouthplate was pretty much unheard of. Salem couldn't come up with a sensible reason as to why anyone would dress in a way that concealed the entirety of their skin and face, or not strike up a conversation. None at all, unless…

"They were trying to hide.. And they'd only be doing so if…" Salem trailed off, finishing the sentence in his mind. Orange eyes widened and promptly narrowed at the sight of the departing masked person, gears already turning inside the fair-skinned inkboy's head. Then, once enough distance had been formed between him and the stranger, Salem began to follow them, blending in with the passersby so as to not look suspicious and be spotted easily. It seems he's found another lead, and he'll be damned if he lets this one escape from his grasp.

* * *

Wherever the masked figure went, Salem closely trailed behind. The inkling was indirectly led in a tour across the rest of the attacked locales,as if the stranger knew them like the back of their hand. As if they'd been there before..

The Reef, Kelp Dome, Mako Mart, Moray Towers, even lesser known locales like Barracuda Butchery or Dugong Swimmer's Pool, along with many others, were left as horribly damaged, dilapidated messes. Structures and objects were strewn about and broken, with the putrid green ink leaking everywhere in and outside the vicinities of the various locations. They were a repulsive sight, and by the time he reached his fifth location he had no desire to take a closer look at them. He was busy with a more pressing matter, anyways.

The masked stranger continued to stumble around, occasionally stopping to rebalance themselves, readjust their clothing or recover from a sudden fall on several instances. Salem's 'tour' ended when the stranger stopped next to a white building, grabbing onto a trash can for support. Legs quivered as the stranger struggled to remain standing, muffled gurgling and groans emanating from them as a small pressure built up in their throat. In a swift motion, the stranger pulled off and threw away the metal lid while also lifting down their mouthguard, before leaning into the can and vomiting a small cascade of ink.

Surprised, Salem leaned back instinctively, watching the stranger's continued puking of the green ink- the same murky green ink from before- and rushed to their side. The stranger wiped their mouth, staining the sleeve of their coat in the green ink, and readjusted their mouthplate again to conceal their mouth. Their muffled gasps for air slowed considerably when they felt a hand on their back. With a slight turn of their head, they met Salem's puzzled gaze.

"Are you alright? maybe you need to see a doctor," Salem asked with fake worry in his voice.

The stranger hummed, quickly nodding their head and hurriedly walking away into the alley. The inkling's suspicion only continued to grow as he jogged after the stranger. The masked person continued their hasty retreat, constantly glancing back to see if Salem was following them. Sure enough, the inkling boy was closing in on her, determined to keep them in his sights.

"Hey wait up!" Salem called out as he caught up with the stranger, putting a hand on their shoulder once again. "I'm just wondering if-"

No sooner have the words escaped his lips than the stranger suddenly gripped his wrist and slammed the boy into the nearby wall with enough force to create a small dent and knock the wind out of Salem.

Salem struggled against the powerful grip, weakly gripping the arm choking him and using all of his strength to pry it off. It wasn't much to begin with..

The boy froze when he heard the stranger emit a muffled growl, and his eyes widened when he saw them raise their arm as if about to… Slash them?

The masked person suddenly perked up and their gaze shifted between her raised arm and the inkling they held, eventually softening their grip and letting their arm drop down. Salem quickly took this moment of hesitation to grip the stranger's hand, utilizing all their strength to push them off him with a kick. The figure reeled back, doubling over and clutching their chest as Salem slid down the wall and plopped onto. the pavement.

From the corner of his eye, Salem noticed one of the stranger's black gloves crumpled on the ground, leading him to move his gaze to the figure facing him and subsequently gape at the revelation he witnessed. "You… your.."

The stranger's hand. Grey, scaly, webbed, clawed, and dripping green ink down onto the pavement. Salem's widened eyes could only continue to stare at the monstrous limb and register all of its features. The scratches, the unnaturally bent and smashed equipment, the green ink dripping everywhere, it all suddenly clicked into place. The stranger noticed their naked hand as well, holding it out before them and gasping in shock. Their head jerked back and forth between the downed boy and their fish-like hand as they backed away from Salem. The stranger paid no mind to the boy's word and fled to the street outside, clutching their scaled hand close to their chest.

"Why, you-!" Not a second passed when Salem hopped up onto his feet and ran after the stranger, quickly grabbing the black glove and readjusting his cap in the process.

The inkling boy chased after the apparently humanoid Salmonid, moving his legs as fast as he could and pushing passerby out of the way in order to reach them faster. Their efforts were no match for the salmonid's however, who moved with greater speed and gracefully evaded and weaved their way through the passing cephalopods, eventually crossing a street and banking right.

"GET BACK HERE, SALMONID!" Salem shouted as he took the same directions as the masked intruder and caught up with her. The boy hopped and turned into his squid form midair, headbutting the stranger and pushing them into tripping. They both hit the ground and Salem shifted back into his humanoid form while on top of the stranger, holding them down with one arm and raising a fist as if to strike. However, the salmonid striked first by spinning their body and swinging a claw at Salem. Their claws scratched his cheek, causing him to reel back and yell in pain and allowing the stranger to kick him off them and get up, resuming their sprint.

Salem sluggishly got up, passing a hand over his slashed cheek before running after the salmonid intruder once again. The two cephalopods continued the chase on other streets, with Salem trailing even farther behind than before thanks to the damage he received. He followed the stranger to another alleyway and saw them lean on the wall for support, apparently catching their breath. The boy skulked behind them with a Splattershot Pro in hand, and once he was at a good enough distance away from the being he fired. From the corner of their eye, the stranger had noticed the incoming glob of ink. They couldn't evade in time however, and only managed to meekly shield their face with their hands.

The masked stranger hissed in pain and doubled over. With a smirk of satisfaction, Salem strode over to the downed intruder and pointed his weapon at them again.

"Not so tough now, eh? You've got a lot of nerve to come here on your own. Trash the place, cause some mayhem- What do you want?"

The being sluggishly reared their head up to meet Salem's accusing stare, and without warning threw a strong uppercut that connected with his jaw and launched him back. Salem clutched his jaw and weakly writhed on the ground, left completely defenseless against the advancing stranger. The masked creature slammed their booted foot into Salem's chest, eliciting a pained yell from the squirming inkling. With half-lidded eyes, Salem saw the Salmonid step back from him and subsequently break into a run, off to somewhere else. "No… I can't let you…" He futilely reached out with a shaky hand towards the stranger, but the unbearable pain forced his body and hand to go slack against the dirt ground. He was so close to catching them and yet… he failed… he found the true culprit and let them run free...

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Another month, another chapter. It seems as if this will be my new schedule from now on, but don't count on it. Well, if you found the pace at which I uploaded to be pretty slow, then I have bad news, 'cause it is going to get much slower after this..**

 **Apologies if this chapter was sloppy. If there's anything I could improve, I'd like to know. Still, I hope you enjoyed this. Until next time.**


	5. Meandering About

Chapter 3: Meandering About

 _Slurp.. sluurp… sluuuu-_

Aimlessly lounging on the ground was the mellow Yzel, too busy enjoying his drink to think much of the world around him at the moment. Within seconds, every litre of lemonade had been swallowed by the inkling , his clutched cup becoming nothing more than a plastic husk. Once he began to feel dry air enter his mouth, he pulled his lips away from the drinking straw and rose from his spot, proceeding to look for the nearest trash can. His search didn't last very long, for a silver canister lay next to a small dark blue building near an alleyway.

The young man breathed out a yawn soon after dropping his cup in the can and closing its lid, his relaxed gaze sweeping from one location to the next as if looking for something—anything— of potential interest. There was nothing of that sort, however, much to Yzel's disappointment. Yzel's body slouched as he began to travel somewhere else.

The sudden feeling of a body crashing into his side caused Yzel to lose his footing and promptly tumble down the pavement. With a groan he turned over and reclined on the stone sidewalk using his elbows as support. With a slow shake of his head and repeated blinking of his gray eyes, Yzel was able to escape his daze and obtain a clearer look at the one behind this careless bumping.

" _Yeesh. Those clothes are definitely not suitable for this kind of weather,_ " Was the young man's first impression on the stranger. They were now on their knees and supporting themselves with their hands, taking deep muffled breaths. Something looked.. off in them. As he got up and stepped closer towards the stranger, Yzel swore he saw a bit of gray in their uncovered light-skinned hand, however the color immediately faded away without a trace, baffling the young man further.

No sooner had Yzel put a hand on their shoulder than the stranger jerked their head up and began to crawl away from him. Just before they could flee, Yzel snatched one of their arms and pulled the squirming person up to his eye level with a quizzical look. The stranger thrashed and squirmed about with as much strength they could muster, humming various grunts of protest.

"Hey-! Stop this, it's-urgh- okay!" The inkling reassured to no avail, his grip beginning to wear down. This random ceph had a lot of fight in them, to Yzel's surprise, and he simply couldn't figure out what could've possibly set them off. He was only trying to help them up, is all!

" _Alright. I'm running out of patience with this twerp._ "

Acting decisively, Yzel tightened his hold on the stranger and pulled them further in, and with both of his hands he grabbed ahold of their hat and visor and tore them off. The cephalopod's reaction was one of fear, yelling a shocked "No!" and meekly covering their face. The now-identified female inkling cowered away from the young man with small, hasty steps until her wrists were once again grabbed and moved away from her face.

At last, Yzel was able to see the inkling's face in full, a very familiar face he didn't expect: Jade's.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Yzel joked. With a beat, the girl's green eyes fluttered open and stared dumbfoundedly at Yzel for a good minute. He glanced sideways briefly and his playful smile shifted to a confused frown.

"Uhhh, Judd got your tongue? What's wrong?"

The girl continued to stare at Yzel until she repeatedly blinked and broke out of her trance. "... Huh- Oh no, sorry! I was just s-surprised!" Jade finally blurted out after a shake of her head, her yellow tentacles swaying wildly from side to side.

"You OK?"

"Yes," Jade breathed out, "There's nothing to worry about."

Her uneasy shifting and side glances implied otherwise. Still, Yzel decided to not pry further and continued to examine the oddly apprehensive girl. That didn't mean he no longer remained curious on what exactly Jade seemed to be afraid of, however.

"So, I'm not sure if you have no problem standing still in the middle of the sidewalk..."

"Actually, I-... I'd like to go to my home, if that's okay with you."

"Mmkay. See ya," Yzel responded with a shrug and turned away to leave.

"Wait-!" Gloved fingers grasped his own, and with a surprising amount of force, Jade held Yzel in place. He shot her an inquisitive look that unwittingly caused Jade to flinch and nervously let go of his hand.

"I.. prefer having someone to talk to.."

The male opened his mouth, curling it upwards to an encouraging smile after a beat. "Alright then. Lead the way."

* * *

The passing and throwing of stories kept the two inklings entertained through their otherwise uneventful walk to Jade's home. Once they stepped inside the girl's room and the door was closed, the inklings dispersed to different corners and relaxed in their own way. As Jade began to lay down on her bed, Yzel seated on the floor and took the time to overlook the muted room. His own corner looked as tidy as can be, as were the shelves and drawers filled with clothes and other items. The bed section was a completely different story, on the other hand.

Even with the distracting sight of the inkgirl continuing to nuzzle further into her bed, Yzel was able to identify claw marks and tears on the bed sheets. Chunks of the gray walls were scratched or had their paint torn off, leaving behind white marks, and the nearby bedside table was smashed beyond a simple repair. The window curtains were as equally torn as the sheets, with splotches of sunlight peeking through the various holes. Only that section of the room had any kind of damage, strangely enough.

"Uh.. Did an animal break in here?" Yzel asked loud enough for Jade to hear.

"Hm?" The girl turned over and scanned her room. Worry was etched in her eyes for a moment, before she turned back to the young man with a puzzled frown, "No… I don't have any pets, and I don't think I left the window open. Hold on."

With a small tug, Jade pushed the curtains farther apart from each other, allowing outside light to engulf the room and to reveal the state of her window. It was open, much to her dismay, and bearing a bent white frame racked with claw marks. She whined sadly.

"It's reeeally looking like an animal broke in here," Yzel commented again, stepping closer to stare at the damaged window.

"I can fix it later," Jade forcedly replied as she turned away from the window and entered the bathroom, but not before taking a set of clothes with her. The door was quickly closed.

It was getting clearer and clearer to Yzel that his companion had a problem. 'What' it entailed was beyond him for now, but it has surely affected Jade. He may have not known her for long, but this jittery, insecure demeanor certainly wasn't in line with how he saw her just two days ago. Nobody asks a person they just met to accompany them back to their own home, after all.

A chuckle escaped the male's lips as he glanced back to the bathroom door. "Looks like you did get mad.." he drily muttered with a low, slowed shake of his head.

There wasn't much going on in the street below when Yzel looked out the window. A passerby here and there, pebbles on the rows of stone tiles... a light blue stain plastered on the pavement? He even spotted a set of tiny splotches of.. murky green ink?

That's strange..

Yzel jerked his head back upon hearing the door creak. From the bathroom Jade emerged with tranquil steps, clad in the same sporty clothes Yzel last saw her in. "That's more like it."

"What do you mean?"

"The coat, the beanie, the baggy pants- You don't seem like the conservative type, y'know? Not from what I've seen, at least."

"You're saying that how I dress has to be related to my attitude?" She approached her companion and rested her forearms on the window.

Yzel sighed with closed eyes. That was a terrible way to phrase a sentence..

"... Comfort!" He yelled, "It just looked as if you're more comfortable wearing that, is what I'm trying to say."

"Uh-huh…"

"Whatever, my bad," Yzel placed a hand on his brows,"Anyways, is it normal for there to be a blue puddle next to your doorstep?"

"What?" Jade's brows furrowed as she approached the window and looked out to the pavement below. Yzel saw Jade visibly stiffen at a certain moment, and without a word, she dashed out of her room. Something was very wrong…

* * *

" _How have I not noticed this earlier?_ "

Indeed, the sight of what could be described as a crime scene was far too unorthodox to ignore. What the inklings were looking at were the remains of a splatted jellyfish. Yellow tape stretched out all around the area where the puddle lay, highlighting it from the rest of the sidewalk, along with the murky green splotches that accompanied it.

Yzel stepped closer, hanging onto the tape and leaning forward to get a closer look. "Dang. That's a nasty splat if I've ever seen one."

"I feel so sorry for them.." lamented the downcast Jade.

"Yeah. He'll respawn later though."

"Actually.. I don't think jellies can do that.."

"Oh," Yzel uttered in response and turned around, "Well that just means we gotta be ready incase we get mugged, don't you agree?"

"It wasn't a…did you hear the rumors?"

"What?" He looked down for a few seconds. He did remember hearing a bit of gossip earlier today, something about break-ins and salmonids…

He glanced back at the taped-off area, and as soon as he noticed the green ink, his sight flared back up to meet Jade. "Ah, that! It's nothing but bogus," he said nonchalantly with a wave of his hand, "Besides, if it really was a salmonid we simply fight it with all we've got until it's gone."

A half-hearted "Yeah," was the only reply from the female.

"Hey… You're not actually bothered by this, are ya?" Yzel's gaze softened.

"It's just.." A shadow of sadness passed over Jade, her expression turning downcast. "That monster killed a neighbor here, and it could've killed me too if it wanted to. O-others could've gotten hurt, and it could be hiding anywhere, I— I'm scared. What if it gets to more people? Or us even?"

She felt a cold hand on her shoulder and perked up to meet a pair of friendly, affable gray orbs accompanied by a relaxed smile. "Don't worry so much. It's a big, scary, new Salmonid; So what? We've dealt with 'em before both on our own and together, a new type won't be a lot of trouble once we find a weakness. Like the others! And if something happens.. well, we make sure to keep each other safe."

His words touched Jade, who gave a thankful smile in return. It was only for a moment, however, for she looked back down again with a frown. Perhaps his reassurance didn't work?

"Hmm… If we are gonna cross paths with this Salmonid at some point.. then we have to be ready for it!" The girl exclaimed with renewed vigor.

"Of course! That's what I was.. trying to say.." He trailed off, at a loss for words.

"So we gotta prepare. Uh- I'm gonna head out now. Maybe we could meet up at the square later on?" A nervous grin crept across Jade's face when she finished her question.

"Sure."

* * *

And so, the pair of inklings spent the rest of the day practicing and playing together, with no true inciting incidents happening during that time. As darkness took hold over Inkopolis, the inklings were now located in a cafe, munching at their meals without a word and simply enjoying each other's company. A belch rang out from the inkling once he finished his last bite and slumped in his seat, "Man.. what a good burger that was.."

Jade followed in his footsteps, slouching forward with a sigh. "To be honest, I want another. This still isn't enough.."

"You do you. I don't mind," Yzel said with a yawn. The girl proceeded to sip on her drink quietly and look around her environment. The twinkling and dancing stars on the night sky brought a smile to Jade's face. After placing the cup on the table she reclined on her seat and continued to gaze at the night's wonders, shifting from the stars to the large round moon staring down onto the cold earth.

She frowned.

"Anyways, today's been nice. Let me know whenever you want to hang out again." The male stretched his arms out in a similar way as if he was waking up and stood up from his seat. He began to walk away with a jaunty step, but a few paces later he looked back. She was still in the same spot as before and staring at the moon blankly.

"Hey Jade," He called out.

She lurched forward and dropped her cup. With quivering legs the girl pulled herself up, gripping onto the table to support herself. She darted her gaze from side to side, and with a sluggish dash she began to run away from the cafe.

"Did the drink not agree with her..?" Yzel muttered with a raised eyebrow. That certainly wasn't a normal reaction. Then again, 'normal' couldn't describe how his companion had been acting this entire day.. Perhaps he could find out more.

Yzel jogged after Jade, following her to the entrance of a darkened alleyway. From a brick wall, he peeked inside the alleway and spotted a fatigued Jade propped against a wall to support herself, gasping for air. She was only able to take two shaky steps before her legs gave way and she fell to her knees.

"Squit," he cursed under his breath as he ran up to her side, "What's wrong? Anything you need?"

"I-I-I don't- I don't know what's- **URGH**!" The girl lurched forward again. She raised her violently trembling hand and looked at it, finding herself unable to move even a finger. It was then that it froze up and sharp claws burst from the tips. Before their very eyes, Jade's hand swelled and shifted, with gray scales overtaking it's skin and green webbing tying her fingers together, and growing far too large for its glove to contain. In an instant the glove was torn to shreds, and Jade's right hand completed it's metamorphosis into something more fish-like(change later).

The sight of both her shaking, rapidly changing hands caused Jade to let out a scream of terror. Another jolt of pain forced her to grab her head and curl up further, screaming again as the wave of changes overwhelmed her. Her body spasmed and grew, straining the fabric of her clothes while fair skin was bleached to a snowy white all over. Her eyemask and tentacles turned a sickly green and began to melt off her body.

Grunts and yelps escaped her lips as her feet shifted and pressed against the caps of her boots, until finally they burst free from their confines and became monstrous, scaly paws, reducing the boots to scraps. Her bulging limbs were proving too much for Jade's clothes to contain, with tears erupting all over her shrunken t-shirt and shorts and her body quickly toning up on various places. She cried out in pain and gripped the floor when she felt a bulge form on her lower back that grew and grew, and screamed again when it tore through her shorts as a fully developed Salmon-esque tail with an orange fin.

And all the while this was happening, Yzel could only stand back and stare ineptly, muttering a lost "What the.." Sure, he could either run away or call for help, but he doubted either of those courses of action would do much to improve the situation.

By now, Jade had completely fallen and curled up on the ground, gripping her head again with clawed hands and desperately taking quickened, raspy breaths of air. A new wave of pain assaulted her, a pained whimper escaping her lips.

Her inkling features began to disappear one by one. Orange kelp-like strands of 'fin-hair' slithered out of and covered the base of her head, and ears, nose and teeth all twisted and contorted into new, unnatural shapes just as Jade's face began to push outward little by little. Jade let out a final, drawn-out scream as her new snout snapped into place, and the changed girl slacked on the ground.

All was still for many moments, with the passing cars and Jade (or what became of her)'s raspy pants for air being the only sounds. Yzel dared not to move, only placing his hand near his shorts' pocket, as if to pull out his weapon in case the.. thing decided to attack.

" _Okay, okay— what am I even looking at? Jade somehow turned into a.. Salmonid? No. She looks too different from any of 'em to be called just that. She's still humanoid. Mostly._ "

Yzel's eyes widened. Suddenly, the things he noticed today-Jade's mannerisms, her mood, the rumors, whatever **happened** to her just now- they all began to make sense. The death of the jelly at her doorstep wasn't just a simple mugging...

The female's breathing slowed. Her tail began to sway about from side to side, and she picked herself up.

"Jade?"

With a growl, the humanoid salmonid flicked her piercing stare toward Yzel with hardened yellow and green eyes. The inkling male could only take a step back before the salmonid lunged at him.


	6. Nocturnal Terror

To say that Yzel was caught off-guard would be an understatement.

Many feelings swallowed him in the moment his companion-turned-Salmonling lunged at him and slammed his body forcefully against a nearby wall, tightly gripping his shoulders. Shock, fear, panic, anything and everything but true readiness for what was happening. Then again, who could've possibly been prepared for something like this?

The inkling struggled and writhed against the Salmon's hold, desperate to break free. What to do afterwards was of no concern to Yzel, escaping that piercing stare was all that mattered at the moment. Making any sounds proved to be useless, for his yell was cut off by the Salmonling's claw shrouding his mouth, and struggling with greater intensity led to him being pressed against the wall further with a tightened grip. The salmonid's commanding growl ceased any and all obscured protesting from Yzel. He recognized that perhaps it was better to comply with whatever her demands were than to fight back against a being who could easily splat him on a whim.

Quieted voices reverbated and bounced off the walls and within earshot of the pair. Murmurs and whispers.

"What were those screams?"

"Did something happen here?"

"That was weird.. maybe we should check it out."

The salmon girl held her breath and stayed still as a statue, holding the inkling even tighter against the wall for as long as the chorus of confusion echoed through the alley. Once all doubt that someone was still listening in on them was gone, the salmon loosened her grip on Yzel's shoulders and set him down.

Being all too eager to escape, Yzel took this new opportunity to kick back the salmon girl off him and draw his slosher, standing at the ready for whatever she threw at him.

She got up in a low posture and gave him a fierce look. The cephalopods were locked in an uneasy standoff that stretched on for some minutes, neither truly willing to enact the first move..

Her posture relaxed, and with a rasped sigh she slowly straightened up and rose to her full height. The girl's pitiful expression was enough to stir up hesitation in the male, causing him to slack his hold on his weapon.

"That's.. still you in there, right Jade?" He asked, confusion laced in his tone. Slowly, regretfully and silently, the salmon girl nodded.

"What the shell…" Putting his weapon away, Yzel stepped closer and circled Jade, looking her new self up and down. While her overall body structure stayed the same at the very least, the rest changed considerably. Her skin had been bleached white all over, save for the patches of gray scales that claimed her clawed, webbed hands and feet. Jade had grown taller and more buff, with Yzel's head reaching to her shoulder when just moments before he was at eye level with her. Unfortunately, that also meant her clothes became too small for her frame, with her remaining torn t-shirt and shorts straining to fit over her enlarged body and the rest being reduced to shreds, discarded uselessly on the pavement.

Most striking of all was her changed face; An unrecognizable, bizarre melding of both inkling and salmonid, with things like a pair of dark green, almost draconic-looking ears, a pointed gray nose and orange fin-hair— characteristics commonly found in Chums— adorning and flowing out of the oval-shaped head of a teenage inkling.

Jade stumbled over to the wall from earlier, her now digitrade legs slightly quivering with every step, though the added tail helped her maintain her balance, and with it's support, she slid down into a sitting position on the ground. "Well… now you know, I guess.." she muttered, hugging her knees.

"I have a lot of questions," was Yzel's slow response as he joined Jade near the wall, standing next to her, "Though I'm not sure if now's the time."

"No, it's okay. I needed to tell someone at some point, anyways. Ask away."

Yzel eyed the girl worriedly, his mouth ever so slightly curling into a frown. Even with her permission, the notion of bombarding his companion with a dozen questions about her condition didn't sit well with him. He couldn't imagine what turmoil Jade must be going through, the mix of confusion, fear and anger that is cast over her being, and to thrust upon her his curiosity and attention on top of it all?

As much as he wanted to know just what the heck was going on, the sensible piece of his mind reasoned that she needed some space. Although..

"So.. what was all that like the first time?" Yzel queried. Jade eyed him in return before turning to the nearby darkness of the alley.

"Um… I don't really remember..? It.. nevermind," Her brief ramble was followed by a sigh and a shake of her head. With eyes shut tight, Jade focused her thoughts and began to recount her experiences with her new condition.

The tale started out simple enough, merely retelling the sensations and subsequent outburst that ocurred after she was bitten, but it soon took a darker turn once she reached the point where she went to sleep.

"..I had a nightmare. I was drowning in a sea and couldn't move my body. Then a bunch of chums surrounded me and began to…" hot liquid began to pile up in the corner of her eyelids, and Jade reflexively sniffled. Still, she fought back the tears and pressed on. "I was eaten. Over and over, they bit and munched on every limb of my body and they just wouldn't stop. I-I couldn't scream or break free, and I felt myself slipping the more they took from my body. They never stopped, I n-no longer felt anything once they got to my head and… at least i-it was just a nightmare," She paused with a shaky breath, opening her eyes once more, "The next day, though…"

"You woke up looking like that?" Yzel continued, an increased curiosity present in his voice. Jade nodded before returning her attention to the pavement.

"I don't get something. Your body's changed, sure, but you're still acting like yourself. What drove ya to go trash a bunch of places the last two nights?" Yzel asked again, as he turned to the girl and scooted to sit in front of her.

"I didn't— I wasn't aware I even **did** anything until I heard some gossip about a monster attack. Of course, seeing the damage for myself made me realize that I **was** that monster.."

"Hardcore sleepwalking.." Yzel muttered flatly. It took him more than a few seconds to notice something shiny and wet on the girl's eyes; more tears.

"I-I am so scared, Yzel," Jade whimpered while hugging herself, "What am I gonna do? I could barely control myself, So many were hurt during my blackouts- I'll only be a danger to others if this k-k-keeps ha-happening.."

Soon, she began shaking uncontrollably, letting out a few sobs. Hard as she tried, Jade couldn't find the right answers in her grief. She desperately wanted to escape this foul misshapen body she's gained, to brush this whole experience off as nothing more than a harmless nightmare, but it was impossible to deny the reality of what has happened. Why was this happening to her? How could she even go back to leading anything close to a normal life now that she was a freak? Was there even something— anything— that could possibly help her?

"Hey."

The salmon girl tensed up when a warm arm wrapped around her, and glanced sideways to see the inkling male staring directly into her with a stern but nonetheless soft manner.

"Listen: I get that it must be hard to cope with all this, and you're probably feeling like you're about to explode. That's all okay, you know? Scream, weep, kick, lie down- you can do all of those if you want, it helps clear the mind. I'm all ears if you wanna say more.. but before you start I want you to know this: It's not over yet."

"Why would you say that..?"

"I mean, sure, the fact that you can turn into a salmonling might cause a lot of problems, but that isn't enough of a reason to feel down. It.. might take some time, but I'm sure you'll find a way to make this work in your favor, possibly fix it. Who knows, maybe this doesn't turn out to be so bad after all?" Yzel monologued, finishing with an encouraging smirk and a thumbs up.

Jade gazed at him with uncertainty, but nevertheless returned a quivering, toothy smile to the young man, displaying her changed and mismatched maw that was filled with sharp teeth and two big fangs on the upper row, and squared snaggletooths on the bottom row.

Yzel could only stammer and stare dumbfoundedly at the repugnant sight of Jade's changed mouth. Still, he was able to recompose himself and smiled back at the salmonling, "W-what I'm trying to say is don't let this get to ya. You'll get the hang of it sooner or later."

"Ok…" the girl nodded softly, dropping her smile and turning away from Yzel without another word, and with closed eyes she reclined on the block wall and layed there. In the silence that followed, Yzel began to hear a small, soft hiccup. Then another, and another, and a few more after, accompanied by sets of sniffles.

It took only a moment for him to realize it was the sound of sobbing.

Softly and as if restraining herself, Jade poured out all her anguish. Tear after tear, sob after sob, she cried and wailed as much as she could, venting the storm of frustration and emotions out to the world. The supportive hand on her shoulder made her freeze for a moment, but an encouraging nod from Yzel allowed her to vent some more, until her sobs began to subside over the course of several minutes. Soon, silence returned once more.

The sound of smashed glass brought the pair's contemplative respite to a swift end, assaulting their ears and deeply startling them. Yzel sprang up from his spot, as did Jade, and took cautious steps towards the street outside. A sweep of the area showed nothing out of the ordinary, though he did notice shards of glass lying around. Those weren't there before, were they?

Whatever the case, thankfully not many passerby were around, and even then none of them bothered to peek a sigh of relief, Yzel entered the alley again. The darkened walls noticeably brightened when he passed by them, only to return to the night's darkness after a certain distance. Was he glowing, somehow? If he did, surely he would've felt a reaction by now.

Nevertheless he returned to Jade's side, the girl still remaining in her spot after standing up. "Did you find any-..." Jade stopped when she saw the dancing, fluttering orbs of light over Yzel's head, a feeling of numbness suddenly washing over her.

"All clear out there," He informed Jade, who still remained in her spot after standing up and began to twitch irregularly. "Uh.. you okay?"

"Glow.. flies.."

"Wha?" Yzel looked up, and sure enough there was a pack of glowflies fluttering above his head. What was the problem? they were very distracting to him, yes, but he didn't yet understand how glowflies could be a bad thing to a salmon-

Oh.

 _Oh._

"Glowflies!" With eyes shut tight, the salmonling feebly shook her head in protest, her body trembling uncontrollably as she desperately tried to hold back the growing wave of urges taking over. Yzel rushed in to help, but was pushed away immediately after only the slightest touch.

"Grruh- Get.. away-!" Jade grunted, thrashing around and bashing against a nearby wall. Yzel helplessly backed away all the while, though his legs betrayed him when Jade's struggling suddenly calmed down and she simply stood in place. Her rasped breaths for air deepened to a prolonged growl as her body shook, and Yzel could only hold his breath with dread-filled anticipation, until the moment of truth came: The salmonling threw her head back and let out a primal, rage-filled screech, and immediately lunged at her new prey.

The salmonling's first slash was dodged in the nick of time, but the punch that quickly followed was strong enough to send Yzel flying out to the middle of the street, landing with a hard thud against the cement ground. He recovered and leaped up just before a rapidly approaching car could run him over. He drew out his slosher as the salmon wildly charged towards him, and swung the bucket to deck her in the cheek just before she could attack.

"C'mon, Jade! You really need to calm down!" Yzel yelled with a hint of annoyance. The striken salmonling snapped towards him, and for a moment Yzel could see more closely the pair of glowing pupil-less red orbs Jade held at the moment, most certainly due to her current state. The male sloshed a wave of ink at the berserk Jade, who in turn hissed in pain and recoiled upon contact. Yzel's success was brief however, for the salmonling retaliated by slashing and subsequently slamming him onto the ground. It seemed as if he was about to be finished off, however just as she brought down a claw on him, Jade froze upon witnessing the glowflies on Yzel's head moving.

She let go of Yzel once the glowflies left him alone and chased after them, pouncing on and reaching out to grab the bugs, and even leaping at a nearby building wall and swimming after them in her salmon form, leaving a trail of green ink the higher she rose. The flies, and Jade with them, reached the top of the building and ran off somewhere else.

"Oh cod," Yzel fearfully muttered, passing glances between the trail left behind by the salmonling and the rest of the street that held a few stunned and scared cephalopods.

"Nononono, this can't be happening!" He exclaimed before breaking into a sprint after the fleeing Salmonling.

A chase ensued over the course of the night. The berserker salmonling leaped from rooftop to rooftop while Yzel ran as fast as he could on the streets below. On the next rooftop she landed on, the salmonling began to stumble and clutch her head all of a sudden. The bout of internal conflict ended as quickly as it came, however, for she quickly returned to her feral state and skulked closer to the edge of the rooftop. With a growl she peered down to the street, where the glowflies fluttered towards a young inkling, as if beckoning her over to her next prey.

The savage cephalopod was all too happy to oblige. She leapt off and turned around in midair, digging her claws to the side of the building to slow down her fall, and then began her slow descent. Upon touching the floor, she sank into her own ink and sneakily swam closer and closer to the clueless fool. Just a cross away from him, she could already taste it; his soft squishy flesh being crumpled and torn to pieces by her teeth, as the rest of his body exploded into a worthless stain on the ground.

So with a small start, she leapt from her hiding spot and pounced at him.

Of course, she didn't count on the pesky inkling from earlier intercepting her and dashing closer in front of the surprised inkling just as she was about to and decisively, Yzel retaliated with a kick. His foot collided with her face, and the girl was sent crashing into a nearby stor

"Guess I kicked her a bit too hard.." Yzel lamented. A dozen passerby either fled or backed away from the downed Salmonling, with a few even having their phones out to take pics (though there was also one in the process of hastily calling the authorities). The salmonling woozily stood up once again, setting her glare on the pair of inklings facing her.

"W-woah.." The skittish nearly-victim blubbered, "I-is that..?"

"Yep," Yzel nodded without a glance.

"The one who-?"

"That's right."

The girl bared her teeth and rushed toward the pair without a second to waste. With a yelp, the two inklings jumped out of the way of the salmonling's attack. The purple haired inkling dodged the salmonling's inmediate flurry of slashes to the best of his ability, though he received a scratch on his chest, causing him a lot of pain. Just as the salmonid prepared to slash again, a swathe of lime green ink struck her from the back, eliciting a cry of pain and allowing the purple inkling to escape her grasp.

"How the heck do we stop that monster?!" he exclaimed as he hastily pulled out a splattershot if his own.

"C'mon, haven't you ever been in a Grizzco shift?" Yzel replied. The inkling shook his head negatively, and Yzel merely facepalmed with a groan in response. "Those glowflies on your head are what's causing her to act like that and I imagine is making her stronger than usual. They're.. also the reason she's going after you!"

"Then what do we do?! I can't shake these things off no ma- AAAGH!" Suddenly, the inkling was pounced on by the berserk salmonling, and with a powerful bite that tore through his neck, the screaming inkling was splatted. The beast hissed lowly as she turned around to face Yzel. He cautiously took a step back when she began to strut toward him, though still stood firm against her. With a growl, she leaped at Yzel, and he moved to swing his slosher in turn. Jade caught the bucket in her hands, and the two cephalopods were locked in a struggle for the weapon, until the girl finally pried the bucket off of Yzel's hands and ripped it in half.

"Oh no," Yzel meekly said before he was unceremoniously swatted away by a back-hand from the salmonling. Her gaze followed the glowflies' trail until it landed on her next target- a frightened and trembling jellyfish- and began to run on all fours towards them. She was stopped once again when Yzel slid in and stuck his foot out, tripping her up to later get up and hold the salmonling down with a bit of effort.

"I get those bugs are very loud in your head, but I'd really like it if you made more of an effort in shutting them out-!" Yzel's plea was cut off by Jade throwing his body off her, letting out a triumphant roar in the process. And to make sure he stood down, she slammed her foot down on both of his legs, eliciting a scream of pain from Yzel. The salmonling snapped her attention to the rest of the street. Unfortunately for her, a scan of the area showed her prey had escaped while she wasn't looking, and a disdainful growl escaped her throat. This one merely had luck on her side, the next prey she finds will not escape her so easily, her rampant and corrupted thoughts reassured.

The glowflies fluttered away somewhere else and Jade in turn began to swim and leap after them, their silent calling beaming brightly and resounding in her mind. And all the while, Yzel sluggishly sat up with a groan.

"Why my legs.. they just healed..." He slurred, renewing his run after her, clutching his head in pain and just faintly hearing the sounds of police sirens in the distance. The night was getting longer and longer, and he desperately hoped this chaos would end soon.

* * *

Throughout streets and rooftops, the salmonling's rampage continued. Wherever the glowflies went, she followed, and whoever they hovered over, she swiftly eliminated them. Any resistance was quickly dealt with, and with no weapon or item that could truly defeat her, she was free to hunt and tear apart as she pleased.

Soon, she found herself near the entrance of one of inkopolis' many shopping malls, hiding in the shadows and quietly surveying the area. Madly rushing in without clear sight of her next prey would put her at a disadvantage, and the commotion and resistance that could follow might lead to them getting away. She just had to bide her time, and when the next victim came out, alone and vulnerable in the dark of night, she would strike. The buzzing lights would guide her to her prey, as they always did.

And there they were: a group of three, a couple and their child, who the glowflies have "chosen" and were hovering over. Walking and laughing together without any worry, oblivious to the lurking danger. That boy.. he seemed familiar, but the clear answer as to why eluded the salmonling's clouded, locked mind. And there was something about the inkling woman's scent...

The salmonling shook her head with a slight grunt. She couldn't distract herself with such things. Her prey was getting closer, after all.

The family didn't notice the blurred shadow skulking behind them while moving along the sidewalk, and were wholly unprepared for when the salmonling lunged at them. Immediately the parents moved to shield their son, with the father standing between the salmonling and the other two inklings, blocking a swing of the monster's claws. Nevertheless, a slash across his belly and a scratch of his face was enough to dispatch him. She turned to the woman and young teen, their faces full of terror, and quickly pounced after them. Hand in hand, they both attempted to run away, yet the salmonling quickly dashed in front of them and cut them off from any escape. With a yell, she slashed at them, and the inklings cried out in pain.

The dark-skinned inkboy fell away from the woman's grasp as a consequence, and he began to frantically crawl away from the monster. The salmonling lunged to harm him again, but reeled back when she was hit by a salvo of purple ink.

"FREEZE!" A stern, accented voice shouted, and the Salmonling glanced to see a squad of police sea creatures lined up in formation and aiming their weapons at her. "Don't make a single move!"

She snarled at them, and with great force she grabbed a nearby lamp post and pulled it out of the ground before violently throwing it at the police. Some took the full brunt of the attack, while the remaining others dived out of the way and fired on the salmonling. A battle soon ensued, and all the while the inkboy shakily got up to his feet and ran to his mother's side.

"Mom!" He called out, embracing her tightly. She was kneeling next to her unconscious husband, and returned the hug in a protective manner. She softly hushed the whimpering 14 year old and comforted him, keeping her purple eyes trained on the rampaging salmonling.

"It will be okay, Khal.. Don't worry," She reassured. The salmonling had just finished a brief scuffle with a starfish cop when she noticed Khal back with his mother and the glowflies still fluttering over him, and pushed them away before breaking into a quadruped run towards the pair. The inklings embraced each other harder and braced for an attack, and despite the efforts of some remaining policemen in holding the beast down, she charged unimpeded at mother and son.

With a fearful yell, Khal broke free from his mother's hug to dodge a slash and sprinted off in another attempt at escaping, but he wasn't able to get far before the salmonling bashed his back and grabbed the collar of his hoodie, slamming his small body against the mall's wall. He cried out in pain, and began to scream for help and uselessly squirm in the beast's hold. She glared at him and raised a claw to finish him off, but relented when his tearful, puffy purple eyes met her glowing, hateful red ones.

Something suddenly snapped in the salmonling's mind. It was as if a thick veil was lifted from her face, revealing a light that cut through a haze of feral delusions. A memory resurfaced to the fore, drowning out the glowflies' call for a moment. Only in that moment however, did the salmonlig truly realize who she was, what she had done and what she was about to bring onto her companion— her friend— if she allowed herself to yield to her primal urges. She could not, would not let them win, she had to break free.

But once again, Jade felt her thoughts slipping and being put to sleep by bestial instinct, commanding her to let go and finish Khal off. That boy was a weakling, anyway, and the weak must be snuffed out by the strong like her.

" _No…_ "

It was so easy. He was already in her grip, she just had to slash his neck and splat him right then and there. Another to fall to her might, and as a bonus she'd get more food!

" _No!_ "

There was no need to hold back. She splatted a few inklings already, what was wrong with eliminating one more? He's no more important than a bug to be crushed under her foot. To deny it was pointless, she didn't need the company of a child who only serves to bring her down. She had to get rid of him and any inhibitions.

" _ **NO!**_ "

Suddenly, a splitting headache assaulted the salmonling, causing her to cry out in pain and unwittingly let go of Khal. Gripping her head and letting out a long scream, she thrashed around and clawed at her head in a struggle to regain control. The others were bewildered at this, too shocked or outright fearful to make any move, and the terrified Khal didn't dare to do anything sudden.

How convenient it was then that Yzel managed to arrive at the scene in time, though heavily fatigued and bruised. He was shocked to see that things had already gone down after a quick scan of the area, and that only increased when he realized who the current victim was and that Jade was actually resisting her 'glowfly instinct', as he would dub it. Now was his chance to put an end to this!

Looking over the wide sidewalk once again, Yzel decided to limp over to the nearest trash can. He dug for anything of possible use, and picked an unused, deflated balloon and a bug spray can that surprisingly still had some contents inside. Thinking fast, he shook the canister as hard and fast as he could, then opened it's cap before pouring the liquid inside the balloon and then tying it up.

"Run.. run, dammit!" The inkling croaked, pushing himself to run as fast as he could.

All the while, Jade continued to struggle against her impulses, shaking her head wildly and continually bashing against the nearby wall. Khal crawled away cautiously as a police officer came running to pick him up. However, another foolishly charged at Jade and swung his baton hard to bash her in the head. He was slashed across the cheek in return, and Jade's struggling began to subside. Her green eyes could only look pleadingly at Khal before they faded to a glowing red once more, and Jade slipped away once again. With a roar of triumph, the salmonling lunged at Khal and the police starfish, and at the same time- with a great yell and all the strength he could muster- Yzel threw the balloon away towards the salmonling.

One second, two seconds, three seconds passed as the balloon flew through the air, until it impacted against the salmonling's head and burst, releasing a splash of liquid that began to spread through the air and killed the glowflies in the vicinity. The salmonling was left dazed by both the impact of the balloon and the slow elimination of the bug, and struggled to remain standing. She put a hand to her head and sluggishly ran away from the area, into the darkness of night.

"And ya better not go after anyone else tonight!" Yzel shouted to the fleeing mutant. He limped over to the gathered cephalopods, watching as a few of the police brought Khal together with his mother, both tearfully embracing each other. 2 other cephalopods moved to assess the damage, and Yzel even spotted an ambulance parked nearby, with a few nurses moving to pick up the incapacitated inkling father. All was well.. for now…

"Young man," The woman called to Yzel, gazing at him with relief, "Thank you.. I never imagined someone like you would step in to stop that.. monster."

"Well, I'm not gonna let some weird salmon girl hurt my little buddy," He replied with a shrug.

"Yzel..?" Khal slurred, glancing back at the mentioned inkling from his position.

"Told ya we'd meet again, didn't I?" Yzel knelt down and gave the smaller boy a pat on the shoulder, something that brought a small smile onto Khal. "Though, sorry for cutting this short."

"Huh? W-where are you going?"

"Uh-"

"Hey.. haven't I seen ya somewhere before?" The accented policeman, a light blue bipedal seahorse, drawled as he inspected Yzel closely. The young man stared back at him with a terrified look, and was mentally berating himself. Why did he have to cross paths with _this guy_ of all cephalopods?

"Y-you're, uh, thinking of someone else. See ya!" Yzel nervously clarified to the cop. Hastily and with certain roughness, Yzel jogged a few paces before superjumping away.

"Hey, I'm not done with ya yet!"

"Just let him go, Roney. He ain't worth it at the moment," A fellow cop counseled while pulling out some yellow tape from his pockets. Roney merely sighed in response, walking to another spot to examine something. And all the while cops got to work all around her, the inkling woman continued to ponder over what had just transpired, staring intently at the spot the salmonling last stood in. One thought prevailed in her mind: How could it- she- be possible?

* * *

The echoes of distant crowds and police sirens could be faintly heard as Jade dragged her feet across the pavement of a darkened alley, panting heavily and using a wall for support. She was on her own again, and though the inherent two-way danger has passed, a great fear was still present within her. She had just fought a couple of cops, after all, what if they called in more? What if someone else bumped into her tonight?

She didn't dare to think of the consequences. So much damage had already been caused, all the harm she brought to others.. it was becoming too much to bear. Jade quivered in her step and began to weep silently. Guilt soon overwhelmed her, and she broke down into uncontrollable sobs and fell to her knees.

She was so absorbed in her guilt that she didn't hear the sounds of footsteps approaching. And when she actually did, Jade was dismayed to see the shadowy figure of an inkling standing at the end of the alleyway.

"Well, would you look at that. Not even a day has passed and here I am, bumping into you again," The familiar aloof, critical voice of Salem seethed, "Did you have **fun** out there?"

Jade was struck speechless,freezing in place and looking down in shame. The obscured Salem merely shook his head and sighed in response. "I don't know why I'm bothering with you. Better to just throw you out to the authorities and be done with it."

However, before Salem could do anything, Yzel suddenly landed from his superjump, albeit in a very rough way. "Ugh.. did ya really have to mash my legs into squid paste? They just healed.." He groaned, shakily standing up and walking over to Jade's side. The salmon girl stared at him in disbelief, while Salem merely scoffed in response.

"Who asked you?"

"Heya, man," Yzel greeted with a lazy drawl, "Glad to see you too, but can you please just.. **stop** for a moment? It's been a really long day for the two of us, and I imagine you as well. I really don't want to deal with anymore crap.. but if you wanna cause more trouble, by all means. You're a decent guy, but I **really** don't wanna pound you to the ground if you try to pull anything."

"You've got to be joking. There's no excuse for you to defend a salmonid like her, especially after all she's done," Salem accused.

"Haven't you noticed that maaaybe she wasn't entirely in her right mind, and that maaybe she was… just acting in self-defense?" Yzel attempted to argue, though his words formed a very flimsy comeback. "You tell him, Jade."

"Conscious or not, she still has to-" Salem stopped at the mention of Jade's name, and looked between Yzel and Jade with bafflement. "What are you talking about? Jade isn't here, you idiot."

"You don't understand, Salem. I swear, It's me.. Jade. I-I turned into this…" The salmonling whimpered fearfully, looking up to meet Salem's orange eyes.

The blue inkboy's eyes widened, and he took a step back in disbelief. "You- you're lying!"

"Do you really think either of us would lie about something like this?" Yzel remarked.

"Please, Salem… I don't want to cause any more harm, I won't do anything else. Help me…"

Salem averted his gaze away from his previous companions and began to mull over the situation. Tense seconds passed by without a single word or move by anyone, until Salem turned towards Yzel and Jade with a hardened gaze.

"Follow me. I'll let you off.. for now…" He ordered, turning around and beginning to walk away. Jade and Yzel were relieved, to say the least, letting out grateful sighs before Yzel helped the salmonling get up, despite his quivering legs. Supporting and helping each other walk, they followed Salem across the backstreets and alleys, protected and hidden by the cover of night. Jade was glad no more harm would come to anyone else tonight, but the shadow of terror loomed over her once more…

And unbeknownst to the three of them, a 4-rotor helicopter drone was hovering high in the air, aiming and zooming in with it's camera at the trio, recording their walk towards safety.

* * *

 **Author's notes**

 **It's been some time, reader. Apologies for the later than usual update, but hopefully this chapter is a satisfactory one. Once again, if there is anything that could be improved, a review would be appreciated. This story might experience some slowdown since, well, some of it isn't exactly fledged out yet, but I will try to post another chapter without too long of a wait. Though, no promises. Until next time..**


	7. Thinking Ahead

Why did he agree to this?

Why did he decide that out of every possible action he could've taken, sheltering the two responsible for tonight's ruckus was the best idea?

This was absurd. Salem doubted his stunt would really pay off, and if he wasn't careful for the smallest of moments, most surely their cover would slip, and Jade and Yzel would be apprehended as fast as he could snap his fingers.

But of course, he just **had** to let his morals and pity decide what to do in the one time they weren't needed. It's not as if rational thought had aided him in getting out of trouble more in the last year or anything…

"Sooo you gonna knock on that door or not?" Yzel rudely commented, snapping Salem out of his thoughts. The blue-haired inkling shot a glance of annoyance to the taller bum before staring at the door in front of him again. His apartment door.

Thankfully, their sneak happened without any incident, and the trio were lucky that there was no one roaming the corridors of the apartment block at this hour. God knows the panic that would ensue at the sight of a mutant humanoid salmon-girl inside one's home. Still, they managed to arrive to their destination safe and sound. Now that they're here, however...

Oh, what could he even do? Outright show his roommate that they're sheltering the beast that's been prowling and hiding in inkopolis for the better part of nearly three days and somehow reassure him that this is a completely fine idea? As if that would ever work.

It was his winning option, though. Might as well commit to it all the way.

With a little hesitation, Salem knocked on his door three times. It only took a moment for some sort of response to come from the other side, in the form of the disparate, repeated sounds of items being shuffled around. Faint and hurried steps could also be heard amidst said shuffling, gradually growing louder and closer until the door was opened and the trio were greeted by a very tall, spindly-looking purple anchovy wearing square glasses.

"There you are!" He seethed at Salem, "You were certainly busy today, seeing as how you didn't bother leaving any sort of message behind after leaving, and especially after bailing on me for the night."

"Yeah, sorry about that. Had a few delays," Salem conceded apologetically, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

"I can imagine.. But in any case, welcome back! You can tell me more about your ventures today once we head inside…"

The anchovy trailed off after glancing sideways and noticing the far-too-close-for-comfort Salmonling. Terror was present in his wide-eyed stare, and no matter how much he blinked or readjusted his glasses the salmonling would vanish from his sight, as if she were some sort of hallucination from his mind. Jade froze in place, in turn, and was unable to take her gaze off the eel.

Salem glanced between the two tensely, even picking up on his friend's mumbled stammering. He had to dissuade this quickly, or else either of them would end up scaring off the other. Surely the slightest of approaches on Jade's end would send the anchovy into a panicked frenzy, and it was only a matter of time before Constantine would slip into a state of panic or hurry back inside the dorm and call the cops before Jade could even move an arm.

Turning to Yzel, he tapped him on his back to get his attention, and before he could say anything Salem motioned him to go to the salmonling's aid.

"Let me explain, Constanti-"

"N-no, no! I-It's quite al-alright, haha! You two can, uh, wait there for a moment," The anchovy brushed off with a wave of his arm and a jolly tone (one that Salem could obviously tell was a mask), then promptly grabbed ahold of Salem's arm and led him back inside the room before closing the door.

Jade sighed sadly, and Yzel shook his head with a groan. He began knocking on Salem's door repeatedly.

On the other side, meanwhile, The anchovy locked the door with his own key and let out a long, shaky exhale before jolting his head to Salem with a grimace. The inkling boy wasn't really sure if his roommate was annoyed, bewildered, or both at the same time.

"So it's true?!" The anchovy whisper-shouted.

"It's okay, Constantine. They— she— won't harm us," Salem reassured.

"I'm sorry, did you not see what happened not so long ago? The carnage left in its wake?"

"That… it's complicated, okay? Let's just say that right now she isn't having the urge to attack anything in sight. Or really wants to attack anyone, period."

The skepticism on Constantine's frown was apparent, and his narrowed gaze made Salem feel as if he got in trouble for doing something stupid. Then again, this did seem like one of those occasions..

The humanoid-like anchovy turned back to the door and peeked outside through its doorhole. Nothing out of the ordinary on the other side, if one were to ignore the mutant salmon girl standing awkwardly along with the filthy-looking inkling teen that looked to be making exaggerated faces at no one in particular. Constantine could only groan at such immaturity.

"Well, at least your acquaintances are behaving themselves for now, especially that.. girl," he said in a much calmer voice than earlier.

"See? No harm," Salem chided.

"My question is why bring them here?"

Salem took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and after collecting his thoughts he faced Constantine once more.

"I get that it's sketchy. Heck, even I found their story hard to believe at first. But.. this is different. They're dealing with something severe and unlike anything I've ever seen, and no doctor or psychologist or scientist will be able to help. That.. salmonling needs someone to aid her."

"..And you believe that we are the ones most fit to do that," Constantine surmised, his words slow and doubtful.

"Yes."

"Instead of an organization that's well versed with everything regarding Salmonids, and has much better tools at their disposal... Like Grizzco."

"Great idea! They'll **definitely** take her in as painlessly and peacefully as possible, and they will **absolutely** not try to kill her on sight!" Salem retorted before facepalming with a groan.

Constantine let out a tired sigh. "To be honest, I'm not sure about this, Salem…Sheltering her is a risky move that, if we're not careful, could cost us dearly. What if we are ransacked or even apprehended for this?"

"Not if this stays a secret."

"Alright then, why **should** we take her and that buffoon in? What do either of us get out of it?"

Salem opened his mouth to speak, but faltered once Constantine's words truly nestled in his head. What would they gain by helping Jade? It's not as if a handsome reward would be handed to them for fixing her condition, or that their lives would change or improve much for one act of pitied kindness. Eventually, It would yield the same outcome as leaving her be and moving on with their own things to worry about.

Nothing would truly change.

He was brought out of his musings by a pat of his shoulder courtesy of Constantine. "As much as I'd like to lend some aid, I will not endanger my life or yours for some salmon girl you barely know," he exacted before walking back to his nearby desk.

Salem cringed. This wasn't going well at all. He always disliked whenever Constantine entered his 'panic mode', and this occasion seemed like one of the worst cases of it. It didn't help that he was running out of things to say, too. So much for trying to convince him..

He could try coming up with a decent incentive, but what?

The gears in his mind began to turn, and with the passing of time a new idea sprang forth.

"You know, 'Tine? I get it. You're scared. I'm scared too and it's somewhat justified. But maybe this won't feel so bad if you look at the situation in a different way".

Constantine looked back at Salem and raised an eyebrow in interest, which prompted the inkboy to walk closer to him and whisper into his ear. As Salem continued, Constantine found himself nodding, scoffing and overall questioning various aspects of the proposal, and when the inkling finished he had a look of intrigue on his snouted face. "Whaddya say?" Salem asked encouragingly.

Constantine hummed pensively, placing a hand to his chin.

* * *

"Those two are taking longer than an anemone at the clothes store.." grumbled Yzel, having given up his door-knocking and now leaning on a nearby wall. Jade, too, felt the tides of impatience building up within her as she stared at Salem's door anxiously.

It's been close to ten minutes since Constantine shut the door, and neither she nor Yzel have been able to listen in on their discussion, which in turn meant that they were absolutely clueless on what could happen. For all she knew, they were about to call the authorities, or decided that it wasn't worth it to keep her around. Now they knew, right? That she was nothing but a sham? A spineless **freak**?

Why stay, then. A freak like her needed no amnesty. A freak like her needed no company. A freak like her had nowhere else to go, rather than wither away..

Slowly and stealthily, she stepped away from the door frame and turned around to walk away. Only mere seconds passed before she was stopped in her tracks and felt Yzel's hand gently wrapped around her wrist. A glance back and she was faced with the concerned inkling.

"I.."

"Don't worry about it, alright?" Yzel reassured.

"Yeah… sorry.." Jade weakly apologized, turning back around facing the door.

"Can't blame ya, honestly. I'd have left by now if it were under different circumstances."

Before she could say anything else, Salem's door suddenly swung open.

"You two can come inside," the aforementioned inkling mentioned, stepping aside to let the pair in.

Jade and Yzel both glanced at each other and at Salem with an unsure look on their faces. It took some time for the salmonling to gather up enough courage to enter the dormitory, with Yzel following suit.

" _A bit messy compared to my room,_ " was Jade's first thought upon entering Salem's dorm. Indeed, despite there being quite a few pieces of clothing, utensils and junk in general scattered about, the room still remained relatively tidy. Then again, anything messier would seem rude on their end, and they'd probably want their main guest to feel comfortable. Whether it was due to discomfort or self-restraint, Jade stood awkwardly in the center of the room and silently observed the others moving about.

It was then she made eye contact with the formal-looking anchovy. Their red and black-pupiled eyes shot a stare that unnerved the salmonling, yet somehow they seemed eager to her. Or it was just her eyes playing tricks on her.

"Uh.. hello?" Jade asked timidly, giving a low and uncertain wave to the distant anchovy.

It took a solid 3 seconds for him to react, after which he cleared his throat and regained awareness of the new arrivals. "Oh, where are my manners? Hello there! I-it was.. quite the surprise to see you here!" He greeted with a chuckle.

"Y-yeah. Sorry f-for scaring you earlier…" Jade said apologetically, looking down in both embarrassment and shame.

"Please, I should be the sorry one. I wasn't thinking clearly in that moment."

"It's okay.." Jade trailed off, her reassurance coming to a whimpering end. Still she dared not to move.

It took a calling out from Constantine for her to snap out of her stupor. "Don't be shy now! you can lay down wherever you please. Like your.. friend.. over there."

Jade's gaze followed the direction Constantine was pointing at and spotted Yzel lounging on a sofa and yawning quite loudly. The salmonling frowned and was puzzled at this, but quickly brushed it off. It wouldn't seem right to Jade if she were the only one to get proper rest, anyways. She sat on the adjacent chair and watched her two companions squabbling over the sofa with faint interest.

"Hey, get off. It's not your sofa," Salem barked, grabbing ahold of Yzel's wrist and using it to pull him off the sofa.

"Am tired and wanna shleep.." was Yzel's mumbled reply as he shifted around in the sofa.

"Go do that in your own house, then."

Yzel's tired eyes wandered to a window nearby. He remained silent for a few seconds, before croaking a quick "nah". Salem merely groaned in response and moved somewhere else.

"So.. you're letting me stay here, Mr. Fish?" Jade addressed to Constantine.

"Oh yes!" Said anchovy answered with a clap of his hands, "Call me Constantine, by the way. I must say, your presence here is quite the oddity. Never knew there were Salmonids capable of achieving a humanoid form," He commented pensively, leaning forward to take a better look at the salmonling.

"Yeah.." the salmonling nodded with a nervous laugh, "There... aren't a whole lot of my type really…"

"Are there even any more like you out there? I imagine you're not very common."

"N-not really, no. Just me for now."

Constantine hummed. "And so young too.. Anyways, you must've had your reasons for coming here, no? Perhaps you were bored of the old home or the like."

"Uh…"

Oh great, now it seems as if Salem didn't even tell him of her real affliction. No real worries, however, since she could just tell Constantine the truth right away. Would he believe her, and if so, would he still be willing to lend aid?

"Y'see, I-um.. I'm not really a salmonid, actually. Not entirely at least."

"Pardon?" The anchovy asked once more for clarification.

"My appearance wasn't always like this.. before, I was just an inkling. But then I got in an accident with a chum that made me start acting weird, and then night came and while I was sleeping I.. changed."

"... **What**?" Constantine exclaimed with sudden, stiff force in his voice.

Jade in turn snatched the nearest cellphone she could find and did a quick internet search. "Here, th-this is how I look like as an inkling," she said, handing the phone to Constantine. As she expected, his reaction was one of shock, and the way his gaze continually skipped between the picture of her inkling self and her current face incited a feeling of dread in the salmonling.

"But this— it can't— it shouldn't be possible!" The surprised fish stammered, "No inkling can change their form into that of another species! Their physiologies are too different to have any form of intermingling!"

His cries of bewilderment startled Jade deeply, the girl proceeding to make herself look small in shame. A glance towards Jade made Constantine take note of this, however, and he stopped himself from making any more remarks.

"I'm sorry for my outburst," Constantine said, approaching Jade and putting a hand on her shoulder as a way of comfort. "It's only that this is.. unusual, to say the least. I.. give me a moment, please."

The anchovy took a moment to adjust their square glasses before scurrying off towards a desk.

This Constantine.. at the very least, it looked as if they meant no harm. Yet despite that, anxiety still squeezed at Jade, still choked her. She felt herself barely trembling again, yet no matter the brief calming exercises she did: closing her eyes, taking deep breaths, gripping the arms of the chair with her hands; All ended up contributing nothing to clear the mist swirling in her head, clouding any and all judgement on the future. She turned to gaze at Salem, and saw something.. different in him. As if the uptight, stuck-up boy from before has disappeared. "Salem?"

The inkling boy gazed back at Jade in response, "What's gonna happen to me?"

His gaze softened, doubted, questioned. Still he reassured her, "It's gonna be okay. Constantine will help us."

* * *

He had to help them.

The longer he gazed back at Jade, the more Salem's annoyance and—dare he say—pity grew. For as much chaos as her ventures caused, Salem had to remember that it was all done unwittingly. Up to now, nothing about what Jade had said or how she acted implied any sort of malicious intentions, for better or worse. Salem couldn't imagine what it had been like, to have your body twisted into a new and unknown _thing_ , being forced to constantly hold back new senses and urges all in an effort to simply not harm a soul. It must take quite the toll to do so.

If he didn't act now, who knows what other things may happen? He needed to put an end to this as soon as possible, before it could escalate.

Salem followed after Constantine as he began tinkering on his desk. He looked to be examining something on a heli-drone, namely its underslung camera and one of its rotors and was about to continue until he noticed Salem approaching him.

"Well?"

"Well what? I'm not sure what you expect me to do," Constantine threw up his hands.

"Look into this, figure out what can be done to reverse her condition. Thought I made that clear earlier."

"Then I'll require a sample of.. anything, at the very least," Constantine asserted before rummaging through each of the drawers in his desk, until at last he found what he was looking for: a small syringe and a test tube. Grabbing ahold of them and slamming the drawer shut, he stood up and motioned Jade to come towards him and Salem.

"Please hold your arm out for a moment," Constantine requested politely. Jade did as told, allowing the anchovy to insert the syringe onto the salmonling's limb, though not without eliciting a wince from her. He swiftly removed the syringe once enough of the girl's greenish blood had been extracted and immediately got to work with his other tools.

* * *

The subsequent minutes passed by in a blur, and through the lens of his microscope Constantine observed the sample of Jade's ink. He was left puzzled: its composition looked erratic, unstable, and quite clearly mismatched. He could identify faint traces of the blood cells found in inkling ink, but they were few and far between these.. things flowing through the liquid. He could surmise that they likely hailed from Jade's salmonid half, but how they've managed to survive for so long was baffling. Surely, her antibodies would have neutralized the salmonid components by now…

Right?

Before he could speculate any further, the corner of the anchovy's eye noticed that something was happening. A spiked microbe approached one of the inkling cells and began to touch it. It seemed as if it were absorbing it, but then something odd happened: just before the microbe finished it's consumption, the inkling cell suddenly grew and overtook the salmonid one before shifting into something that looked like a fusion of the two. A closer look showed that this same action was happening between a few more of the scattered particles in the ink, and some pairs remained idle and made no move to consume or attack each other. A most unnatural process, if he said so himself...

"This cannot be.." Constantine lamented once he paused his analysis.

"Did you find something?" Salem asked, looking up from his reading of a book to meet Constantine's troubled gaze.

"Well… the mutation runs far deeper than I imagined. The blood cells within the ink seem to be at odds, yet somehow mingling together."

"The shell is that supposed to be?" Yzel butted in, looking over the sofa and at the other two.

"Do you not know how your ink works?" Constantine retorted with a question of his own, one that Yzel only responded with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Typical simpleton… Alright then. I'm sure you at least have some idea of why your friend looks the way she does at the moment, no?"

"It's because of the salmonid ink in me.. right?" Jade inquired for clarification.

Constantine nodded approvingly. "But it's not just that. Inkling ink, which also serves as your blood, has certain components in them: their very own blood cells. Red ones carry the things necessary for you to keep going, and white ones ward off anything that might harm you. Nothing too complicated there.

Now, salmonid ink managed to enter your body, directly into your circulatory system. Seeing as how direct contact with ink from different species, or rather different types of ink, often causes injury to inklings, it's a wonder you're not wracked with a dozen sicknesses at the moment."

"So I'm not ill?"

"No. The cells within you would have to be attacked by any pathogens carried through the salmonid ink for that to happen. Something else has ocurred instead. Come."

The two inklings and salmonid moved to Constantine's desk, the eel scooting aside and letting each of them take a look in the microscope before he could continue.

"See the spiked particles? They appear to be cells from the salmonid part of your ink, floating through the liquid alongside your inkling cells. You'd think the presence of incompatible microbes from outside would spur the white cells— and your immune system in general— to fight back, yet somehow that isn't happening at all. Both inkling and salmonid cells are flowing within your ink, neither working to cast out the other. Not only are most of the cells co-existing, some are even coming together to form new composite cells. The salmonid and inkling inks? they're **merging**."

"Oooh.. that's a bad thing, right? Or…" Yzel pondered out loud.

"It isn't harmful per se, but if left unattended it could yield profound consequences for you, Jade."

"But it's already made me change into this. You can't tell me there's more," Jade objected.

"Judging by the sample of your ink, your mutation doesn't look to be of the static type. If it were, the microbes inside you wouldn't be so lively. This has only affected your body, right? Your mind seems to be mostly untouched."

"Emphasis on 'mostly'," Salem added, eyeing Jade with certain disgruntlement.

"I doubt such an important part of an inkling's being would be spared from the mutation, at least forever. Perhaps.. perhaps the speed at which this affliction claims the mind is different than the speed at which it morphed the body. Perhaps it's slower."

"Who cares how slow it is, we just wanna know what's gonna happen next," Yzel complained, tapping his foot impatiently.

Constantine turned toward the microscope and looked into it again before replying, "The salmonid ink has spread all across Jade's body, enough for it to mutate. However, there's a part of her that's still distinctly inkling, which would suggest the merging process is still in an early phase, or it's just that the salmonid ink hasn't fully affected her brain yet. That might be the next target for the microbes to assimilate, after having made contact with the rest of your body."

"I fear that with time, the ink and it's contents might be able to fully seep inside your brain, Jade, and begin to influence your thoughts and urges more and more. That is, until any traces of your normal mind are scrubbed off. And if that happens? There might not be any way- or reason- for you to change back."

"What the heck?! So she's on a time limit?!" Yzel exclaimed in disbelief, gripping the edges of the couch he was on.

"Seems to be the case. If the mutation is allowed to develop as is and unimpeded, it's possible your transformation might become.. permanent." Constantine finished, his expression turning solemn.

Disbelief permeated in the room. The inklings exchanged an unsure glance, similar conclusions and feelings of concern forming on both of their got a whole lot more dangerous.

Salem's most of all was running at a mile per hour, scrambling to think of something— anything— that could get them out of this sticky situation. So many ways they could screw up, so few things they could fall back on for support, and nothing was certain except for one thing: They only had each other to count on. From now on, no one else could know.

Jade's mouth quivered, and with a voice not unlike that of a scared child she whispered, "How much time do I have?"

"Hard to really say at the moment, though at the rate the merging process is happening I can estimate that it would take some months before it's complete."

In that moment, Jade's hearts skipped a beat, and her mind went completely blank. She could only look down at the ground and take a deep breath, as if that would somehow clear the haze forming in her mind. She didn't even realize her body was shaking, and soon the voices of the others and any sound in the room was drowned out and muted.

Months.. could such a short timespan truly be enough for her current life, her current self perhaps, to simply vanish? This question lingered and festered within Jade's mind.

Salem on the other hand couldn't help but curse to himself again. "Of course time would be another problem," He grumbled mentally, furrowing his eyebrows. Time for a new course of action, then..

"Crap.. what do we do?" Yzel threw out yet another question of his own, glancing uneasily between Jade and Constantine.

"I can continue to pore over this sample in the meantime. **Without** your presence here," The eel-male emphasized in an almost stern manner, spinning his chair back around towards the desk and refocusing on the glass of mixed ink that lay in it. "As for you… well, I only hope that whatever it is you're planning can work."

Bewilderment graced Yzel's being as he stomped over to Constantine's desk, clutching it with a hand for support and getting in the eel's face. "C'mooooon, you're not just gonna ditch us right?"

"No. But surely you must understand I cannot be your friend's caretaker either."

"You're doing it now.. nothing wrong so far."

"Only as a favor. Once the sun rises tomorrow, I have no choice but to move you out of here," Constantine finished

"Well fine, Jade and I are just gonna move somewhere else. If we keep moving around the city, no one's gonna be able to catch her," Yzel boasted with a smirk, breaking from the chair.

" **In** the city? That is simply asking for another mess to happen with a suggestion like that."

"What, you want us to run away like wusses? That isn't much better either!"

The pair continued to throw suggestions, arguments and insults at each other, reaching a stalemate. Yzel was about to speak up once more, but he got cut short by a tug on his arm from Jade.

"Yzel, listen to him. I don't think there's anything we could do now."

"You're kidding, right? 2 bumps in the road ain't enough to punish yourself, Jade. He's only saying that 'cause he's a scaredy cat."

"She has to leave."

Jade, Yzel and Constantine turned to the owner of the solemn voice. Salem glanced between the trio before rising from his seat.

"I really don't like saying this, but Constantine's got a point. It's only been what, two to three days? and already Jade's caused both property damage and injuries to dozens of people. If she stays here, there's bound to be more accidents with the way things are now."

"Right… let's forget that she had no control over her actions during that time and blame her for things she wasn't aware of," Yzel protested

"That's exactly why, Yzel. If Jade isn't able to keep herself from becoming feral, she'll only end up going in more rampages. And now, people know. They'll see that the rumors were true and they'll start acting based on what they saw, and what do people do when they see a monster? They either run away or they hunt it down."

The salmonling winced upon hearing the word 'monster'. In her mind, it was clear that Salem didn't mean it as any insult, yet still emotions of hurt brewed within. Yzel didn't talk back after hearing Salem's conclusion, and only glanced at the others in the room before groaning in defeat.

"Alright, fine. We'll go to another place then like Calamari County or somethin'," Yzel proposed with a grumble.

"That wouldn't change anything though, just bring the problem somewhere else."

"But.. where else can I go, if I can't stay here or in any other city?" Jade asked with an unsure gaze, fidgeting with her fingers.

"It'd have to be somewhere no one could get hurt. Somewhere you can be a Salmonling as much as you want without anyone batting an eye on you…"

With crossed arms and closed eyes, Salem pondered over a fitting destination. There's only one place that came to mind that could possibly be what they were looking for..

"Alright, new plan: tomorrow we'll sneak into Grizzco and take one of their boats. With it, we'll sail off from the mainland and into salmonid territory," He announced, pacing over to where the window was. "More specifically the farthest one from here, which would be the Smokeyard— that's where we are gonna drop you off, Jade."

The aforementioned salmonling's hum was laced with insecurity, and her crossing of arms and looking away from the group elicited an eyebrow raise from Salem. He couldn't deny that what he suggested is a tall task, and perhaps the thought of having to live among the barbaric fishes for a time and abandon all she knew for a time seemed daunting. Heck, even he would have second thoughts on doing such a thing if he were the mutated one. Still, it was the only viable option they had, and he wasn't gonna let a little fear stop this team effort in its tracks.

"I know it's not exactly an ideal solution, but it's our only option. You'll be safer there," he reassured, looking back on the salmonling.

"That's… that isn't what I'm worried about," Jade muttered in a low voice, "I… nevermind."

The inklings shared a glance of confusion, neither knowing what to say or ask but still sharing the same sentiment. And all the while, Constantine looked on at the conversation with a sharp gaze, as if silently studying the girl.

* * *

Once the sun rose and a new day had arrived, Salem's plan was carried out without much delay or incident. The trio had found a way to hide Jade's features by way of a simple cloak and a dozen other rags that wrapped around her body, shielding all of her more notable features out of sight. Sure enough, no one batted an eye at the display of two inklings accompanying a cloaked person towards Grizzco's doorstep.

To their surprise, Mr. Grizz had started business early with a shift at the Smokeyard available for anyone to partake in, and to their relief he had allowed them to 'work' there without asking many questions regarding the girl's getup. How he didn't think much of it was a mystery as much as it was very suspicious. It didn't matter however, for either way they ended up boarding a boat.

And so, they were now sailing en route to the Salmonid Smokeyard across the polluted sea, none uttering a word during the trip. In no time at all they had arrived.

Yzel eagerly leaped out of his seat, his feet landing on the muddy shore with a little bounce. Salem was next, merely stepping out of the boat and walking ahead to where the left ramp was located. It took a call from the former to get Jade to drag her feet out the boat and into the dark orange sands after her companions.

"And we're here! No problems or suspicious people either, so that's a relief," Yzel gleefully announced as he overlooked the island from where he stood.

"This is as far as we go," Salem stated, "We'll come back for you once Constantine is able to make something, alright?"

The salmonling offered no response, and only glanced at Salem before her gaze turned downcast. Her seeming ignorance elicited an exasperated mutter from Salem and prompted him to sneak up on her.

"Alright, spit it out," Salem coaxed.

Jade flinched at the suddenness of Salem's voice, yet still made no moves to face him. "I'm just.. a little antsy about all this really. Don't worry."

"If there is one thing that really gets under my skin, it's people lying in my face. Or rather, people lying to themselves. So don't try it, please."

The salmon girl whipped around to glare at Salem, "This is too much for me, okay?! I-I don't know what to do!"

"I know, which is why we-"

"You don't get it!" Jade snapped, "First I wake up as some- some freak, then I pass out and learn that my body ran around on its own and terrorized people, and now you're telling me that I have to **live** here for who knows how long with them!" She peered down at her feet, then at her own scaly hands. "I-I almost.. splatted Khal…"

At a loss for words of reassurement, Salem bit his lip and glanced away from the Salmonling. As if on cue, Yzel stepped in.

"Hey now, let's hold off for a sec. You don't honestly believe what you just said now, and it's certainly not the end of the world."

"Sure feels like it.." Jade turned away from her companions. Yet no sooner did she take a step than Yzel swiftly gripped her shoulder and spun her back around to face him with quite the stern face.

"Listen here. I've only met you for what, 4 days tops? and I can say that the way you're freaking out now is not you at all."

"Maybe you don't know me that well."

"Maybe not, but I know enough to see you're better than this. Heck, you've dealt with Salmonids before in our shifts together, and you took 'em down or pushed 'em away no sweat. And back then, when you first came out with the bite, there was no fear was there? Nah, you handled that like a champ."

Jade looked up at the inkling with misty eyes. Her mouth quivered, yet no words came out. No more than a broken "But.." was exhaled out to the world.

"I mean, yeah, living with the things is completely different— and actually might be a little harder— but point is, you did fine then, and you'll do fine now. I'm sure of it. Who knows, maybe our nerdy pals over there will get a cure ready in no time and you'll only have to stay here for a week or two," he finished, jabbing his thumb to point back at Salem.

Still silent, the girl gazed between the inklings as her body began to quiver, barely holding any kind of composure. Out of nowhere, she roped Yzel in a tight hug and let out a few tears. He didn't object, however, and only granted poor words of comfort. Yet for as much turmoil that still festered within her, Jade refused to break down into full-blown crying. She wasn't going to look like more of a weakling than she already was in front of the others.

Neither of the three really took measure of the time, but a glance upwards showed the sun still high in the sky when Jade managed to calm down. She took a step back from Yzel and turned her back on them, taking her attention to the smokeyard out before her.

"Thank you for all of this, you guys," Jade said with a solemn look on her, "I wasn't sure earlier, but now.. now I feel ready."

"Right. Try to not lose your mind, ya hear?" Yzel replied with a wave before jogging back to the boat.

"Good luck," Salem bid with a small smile.

Jade nodded in turn, and she waved her friends off as they began to sail away. Soon, they were far away and out of sight and the salmonling was alone once more. Her thoughts wandered...

This was crazy. Even now, she still had a hard time believing everything that has befallen her so far, especially the fact that she was going to stay with salmonids for whoever knew how long. The very same salmonids she thought of as nothing more than annoying, rabid fishes that wouldn't stay down even if the world depended on it would be her temporary 'friends' now. Ridiculous.

Jade put her palms on her face and groaned. It's not that she was afraid of getting hurt by the fishes or anyone else, if it came to that she'd defend herself till the end. The possible _effects_ of her intermingling with the salmonids were what troubled her. Would their barbaric, animalistic ways slowly ingrain and overtake her mind, affecting how she acted? Would being with other salmonids fester her own salmonid half's primal needs and instincts , leading to her being more prone to regress into a feral state? Would she forget her former life and end up succumbing to her impulses, becoming naught but a rabid beast?

Too pressing of questions with no clear answers in sight. What to do?

They retreated to the back of Jade's mind when a soft tapping sound slithered into her ears. The salmonling removed her hands from her face and looked ahead to see a gathering of figures on the other side of the island, which she soon realized were salmonids after squinting her yellowed eyes.

This was it, no turning back now. With a deep breath, she pushed any more worries aside and took cautious yet firm steps towards the gathering. The others offered her help, and she wasn't going to throw it away. Whatever may happen, she needed to do her part too, all to one day get her old life back.

" _Well, here goes nothing._ "

* * *

 **Author's notes**

 **Well, here it is. The chapter that's been two, nearly three months late and admittedly I've struggled with the most is now finished, and ready for you. I do hope there is still some enjoyment to be found in this story, though I doubt there's much left. I'd like to apologize for taking so long to do anything. But life goes on, and this is really only the beginning. Please look forward to more updates in the future.**

 **Any reviews or feedback is appreciated (I can't tell the quality of my writing sometimes), and perhaps the next chapter will come soon for you all. Until next time, if there is any.**


	8. Interlude: The Perfect Pact

My, my. Quite the turn of events it's been, hasn't it? And what a crowd of people you've entangled yourself with, Constantine.

Truth be told, I do not know what to make of this. I'd certainly like to offer my help to any cephalopod or marine citizen that requires it, and any opportunity to put my knowledge to use is a great one. Yet out of all the would-be patients, I ended up with whatever the girl Jade was supposed to be. A fusion between inkling and salmonid…

Ridiculous. Such a being should not exist under any circumstance.

Moreso is that Salem expects me to fix it. Somehow. Despite only scratching the surface at what exactly happened to the girl's body. I know I've said this to them last night, but what do they expect me to do?

Still.. would it be right to abandon them? Perhaps with enough time and dedication I could figure out a concoction to cure her, but with the tools at my disposal, I doubt that could be achieved in the time I estimated for the full development of the girl's mutation. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all…

Wait, what am I thinking? Stop meandering and stay focused, Constantine, you have a task to do. Oh, and you should also stop talking to yourself too.

Anyways… at the moment I've been observing the sample of ink that the girl so kindly gave to me in order to learn more of its properties, it's composition and the like. Though I've been admittedly a little slow on that front. Oh well, one can't rush a job well done.

The more I stare at the vial in my hand, the more curious I grow. So many new things just waiting to be discovered, and quite a few that I thought were impossible. For example, I remember seeing a few of the salmonid microbes being swallowed up by inkling cells, which in turn caused them to grow in both size and strength. Taking a better look now, I realize that the salmonid microbes weren't actually consumed; they still live inside the cells, providing nutrients and energy to them, while the cells in turn house the microbes inside and look to be protecting them from outer threats, almost like shields. Fascinating, no? Or maybe it's just me.

Hmm… Perhaps the organisms within have developed a sort of symbiotic relationship, serving to fuel the girl? It could provide one clue as to how she gained her unusual strength and limitless stamina. But it's not enough to truly form an explanation. Guess I'll have to look harder.

With this discovery in mind, I quickly reached for a nearby booklet and wrote down what I found, plus any other relevant details. Now that I'm looking at this.. I can't believe I've already filled a page with my observations, and all from just a single sample and a couple of recordings! Surely with access to the girl's full body, I'm bound to find more and more new things. Truly, it would become a fine research!

But I digress. I've observed a lot, yes, but.. how can I use this knowledge to concoct a cure?

I turned from my desk and moved over to the window nearby, gazing out at the world beyond my walls. I have to clear my mind first, and who doesn't like gazing out into the outside world at times? It's a win-win.

Quite the peaceful scenery this is.. it's as if everyone suddenly forgot what happened last night. It's nice seeing a couple and their child just touring the street, or an elder mollusk playing with their pet, and even something as drab as vehicles passing by. Sometimes, I can't help but envy the carefree ones. But that's why I and many others work, so that they can't worry about a single thing.

And Jade won't have to be troubled by her new body if I get to work.

Right, so after some more streetgazing I walked back to my desk and reviewed the notes from my booklet. Now that I'm reviewing these (along with taking another glance at the sample through my microscope), the overall state of the ink is pretty much the same as to when I first saw it, just that there are a dozen more things going on underneath. Although, what I wrote about the white cells from inkling origin dying faster than normal might be worrying, and the salmonid variants of them that I just found seem to be replacing them. Strange..

I also found round, tiny yellowish orbs in the ink stream. But why are they there? I don't recall ever seeing a microbe that was colored gold in either of the species' ink, and I haven't seen them do anything but aimlessly float around in the ink. I do not know anything about this.

Well, that's nothing a quick search on the internet won't fix. I booted up my searcher and typed in what I saw on the search bar (I'd love to be more specific than 'goldish microbe inside cephalopod ink' but seeing something for the first time without learning its name can seriously impede one's searching ability) and already several results have appeared. Let's see. 'Basics on genetics'… 'The wonders beneath a cephalopod's body'… '5 facts on microbes'…

Nothing of use, just a bunch of pointless articles. Why do I keep setting myself up for disappointment?

Although.. 'The life cycle of the salmonid' might at least be of some use. I could read that one.

' _The salmonid starts life as a tiny embryo formed inside the womb of its parent. Usually, the embryo begins as a single cell surrounded by an outer layer of yolk that provides both protection and nutrients for the fragile thing underneath. It is a fluid and flexible substance at this early stage, but as the embryo grows, more layers form in the yolk, until it hardens into a compact round shell to house the embryo, by this point having now developed into an infant salmonid.'_

Nice bit of trivia, I'd say. Doesn't exactly answer my question but any bit of knowledge helps. They were nice enough to even include a picture! It was of a... what..?

A yellow, fluid orb, and inside it the vague outline of a salmonid embryo…

With a shaky breath I slid my chair back to where my microscope lay and hastily looked into the sample again. The yellow orb in the ink, it looked just like the cell from the picture!

But if the orb somehow has the capacity to grow within her as well, then—!

"She'd be capable of carrying golden eggs?!"

I just couldn't help but say it out loud! This.. this girl just keeps bringing more surprises!

Wait, no. Take a deep breath, Constantine. Freaking out won't help you. In and out, in and out..

With a couple breaths I managed to clear my head of all things that clouded my judgement. Now, back to the ink sample: another look into it and I've spotted another orb of yolk floating about. I don't see any more aside from the previous two, which leads me to believe that their presence is rare compared to other cells inside the ink. Of course, it's just a hypothesis I'll have no way of proving unless I get a better look at Jade's body.

Jade's body…

It cannot be left wandering aimlessly any longer.

"It was a mistake to let her roam free," I monologued out loud, swiping the sample vial off the microscope and turning it over in my hand. "There's no telling what might happen, and if left with no supervision or restraint surely her mutation could develop into something more dangerous than it already is."

First, the possibility of her mind being overriden by primal instinct. Then, the composite ink becoming such an intrinsic part of her being that she might not be able to return to normal once the mutation reaches a certain point. Now, the capacity to house _infants_ within her; what could this mutation **not** do?!

I need more samples, more of **anything** from her, but..

"She's unreachable now, Salem made sure of that. And with nothing but what I've gathered in this measly tube of ink, I don't have enough data to determine the true cause of the merger. If I don't know the cause, then I will be unable to make the cure Salem wants."

I couldn't help but stand up and begin pacing around the room. Believe it or not, it helps me organize my thoughts better.

"A cure.. A cure won't be enough, no. This mutation might evolve while she roams freely. Physical contact with others will surely cause it to spread. By then whatever I come up with will have little effect. And if I do manage to fix her, what then? Will I just continue on with my quaint little life, receiving nothing but a pat on the back and a thanks for my efforts?"

No! I refuse to remain in the dark, to have my discoveries be ignored! I will not be denied a chance to leave my mark on this world! This.. is my chance to prove myself. I will be an obscure runt no longer.

"No. I must find her again. Imprison her if I must, so that her foolish escapades don't cost someone else their life. Only by catching her again will I be able to unlock her body's secrets, share my discoveries with the world. Only then, will I make a cure for her.

But.. I need more tools —better tools— to do that. There's only one place I know that has what I require," I declared, returning to my desk and pulling out a phone book from one of its drawers.

Flipping the pages and skimming through a dozen names, I eventually found the number I'm looking for: Grizzco Industries. Excelent.

Now to wait for them to pick up.

The phone rung one, two, three times until someone picked up on the other end. What sounded like an automated message played for a minute, and then the phone rang once more. Finally, an actual person was on the other end. It was a female, and a jellyfish from the way her sentences were phrased.

"Hallo! Grizzco service to the customer, how may I be helping of you?" The female asked in a sweet tone.

I cleared my throat before talking and put on the best calm, confident impression of myself as I communed. "I'd like to speak to Mr. Grizz as soon as possible. I have information regarding the recent attack that might interest him."

No voice on the other end for a moment. Perhaps she hesitated.

"Uh.. the mister is very, very occupy. Still making the business with other people. Make the meeting on other time, if customer wants," she replied with unsureness in her voice. Was this woman trying to throw me off?

"Listen. I don't know or care what your boss is doing at the moment, but I have a good hunch that he's been going crazy over the monster that attacked last night. Let me make myself clear: I've **met** the monster. I've gained data about it that no one else has, data about their body and their intentions; data that would benefit him, his company, and this city. I'd be **appreciated** if you could send him my request."

"O-oh… very well! In short time I will be sending to the message. We thanking you for the call!"

And I thank **you** for listening, lady. Now to make sure she actually did something.

I quickly opened my emails and typed a hasty message directed at Grizzco, making sure to include images of the ink samples and some shots from within the microscope before sending the message to Grizzco. Gotta make sure the big G himself is interested after all. So the message was sent and for a good many minutes, no sign or notification of a reply appeared on my computer. For shame…

Waiting, waiting, more waiting… guess corporations really do take their sweet time in replying to someone? No.. Perhaps they.. they don't care at all?

Cod, I hope not.

Hm? I can hear something ringing nearby.. I think it's my phone. I went to pick it up and spoke into it, asking "Hello? Who is this?"

"Two vials of ink, eh? Gotta say, you're the first person I've seen to actually show me something," a raspy, deep voice responded from the other end of the call, one that quickly made my blood run cold.

I could feel my mouth quivering before I dared to give any response. Was this— was this the real Mr. Grizz? He sounded much different than how I envisioned him.

"How.. d-did you get this number?" I asked once more. Dang it, I just had to stutter now, didn't I?!

"It don't matter. Y'wanna talk business, let's talk business. What else have you learned of that freak?" He demanded in a low tone. I couldn't help but grin at this. He actually replied..

He's listened to me!

"Oh, I've learned a lot," I replied with as much ambiguity as I could muster. "Many, many things that you will be quite interested to know…"

* * *

I can't believe I'm walking through these halls. These cold, clean, darkened and lifeless halls that make up the backbone of the Grizzco HQ. I know people like their workplaces clean, but this is a bit much. You'd think a bug would've been seen skittling on the floor at least. No people, either.

Then again, I am walking through the uppermost level of this facility— of course I should have expected such a high degree of order and cleanliness. The big man wouldn't want any less.

At last I was only one step away from entering Mr. Grizz's office, the only thing blocking my path being a normal gray door. Staring at it gave me this very foreboding feeling, far too unpleasant for me to handle. Anything could be behind that door, perhaps even something so ridiculous and incomprehensible that I'll be left too repulsed to step inside. And Mr. Grizz himself! I have no idea what he looks like, he could resemble anything! Is he a cephalopod, a fish, or even something entirely different?!

"Be still, you fool.. freaking out won't do you any favors. Simply remain calm and state your business. You are dealing with a professional after all," I told to myself as a form of discipline.

Now then, the door. Carefully, I slid it open and took hesitant steps inside, only to be greeted by perpetual darkness. I couldn't make out anything in here, aside from my own body. Vague outlines of objects littered on the corners of the room, but nothing truly of substance. This is starting to get ridiculous.

Just then a bright purple light shone down on me, illuminating my vicinity. How rude, suddenly granting me a literal spotlight and blinding my vision! I was forced to close my eyes for a second just so I could then adjust to the light. Even then, the rest of the room still remained dark save for the very spot I was standing in.

Wait.. I could make out something. A table, with a large chair behind it, and sitting on said chair was.. something…

No. Someone.

"Constantine Vychoan. I'd say it's a pleasure, but it's not," the raspy voice from the phone greeted bluntly. Yes, this had to be Mr. Grizz.

"I believe otherwise. So good to meet you in person, sir," I replied in a jolly manner. Maybe a little too jolly.

"Yeah, yeah, cut the crap. I let you in here for a reason and I want to see it."

"The samples.. of course."

I reached inside my bag and pulled the two vials out. Mr. Grizz must've noticed, for I heard a click sound from his table, and —

A metal claw?! Where did that come from? It—

It took my two vials! There they were, inside the claw's clutches before it retreated back into Mr. Grizz's table. He grabbed them just before the claw disappeared out of sight in the darkness.

"Three days. That's how long long we've spent searching for that thing, ev'r since we first heard o' it. You, on the other hand, somehow found it in a couple o' hours after it appeared last night. Even got a little somethin' out of it," Grizz spoke. grabbing one of the vials and overlooking it.

"I have my ways.."

"Tell me **how**."

The vagueness of my response seemed to have set him off for him to ask in such a hard and stern manner. V-very intimidating to say the least, but I couldn't afford to show weakness in front of him. Just make sure that confident mask doesn't slip off your face for even a moment, Constantine, and you will be fine.

So, I answered.

"Well for one thing, I didn't immediately start shooting it on sight. Second, I didn't actually find it, quite the opposite, in fact. The beast came to me. After that, it was merely a matter of lulling it, convincing it to trust me enough that they were willing to give a sum of their ink to me."

The shadowed figure that was Mr. Grizz remained stiff in his seat. It was then a chuckle escaped him, before he broke into a fit of.. laughter?

"Kid, I dunno whether to congratulate ya or scoff at what an idiotic thing ya did . It's astonishing, really! I mean, you couldn't even keep it under your thumb for more than what, a day?!" He said before laughing again.

My body went tense once I heard such an obscene accusation. What was he taking me for, a fool?!

"I admit, my mistake was ill-conceived looking back," I responded while looking away from him to the darkness near his table. "But it was a necessary sacrifice."

His laughter stopped. Even without getting a clear look at where his eyes would be, I could feel his stare trying to pierce my heart.

"Necessary," he repeated. "My men have been busting their tails day and night trying to weed out the oversized gremlin, protect this city if it ever rears it's ugly snout again. And when we finally have a lead, you decide to let it swim off back to its nest, because you thought it was **necessary**."

"But you misunderstand, sir. I let the monster go for a purpose, one that I believe could prove far more beneficial than a simple capture would provide."

"If it's to get more o' these.. heh, I don't think I'll let you stay here any longer," Grizz grumbled. "Good job on getting me these vials, but I'm afraid that won't be enough to hire you, or whatever it is you want me to do."

"Perhaps-"

"I'll give these to the R&D crew to take a look at 'em. You're dismissed."

…

… Dismissed.

Now he plans to cast me out, doesn't he? To rob me of my findings and claim it as his own. Typical of a corporate suit.

Well, he's got another thing coming to him. It will take more than that to throw **me** out.

"It's… truly a shame that that is your decision, Mr. Grizz," I 'lamented' while turning away from the big man himself. "I would've loved to tell you all about the secrets of the ink in that vial, and you wouldn't have needed a team for that."

I could hear a visible groan come from Grizz. "I told ya already, didn't I? Scram!"

"Before I do just that.. what if I told you that the vial on your left contains the most corrosive, most powerful ink that any salmonid can produce? And the vial on your right holds the monster's very blood, and inside it a dozen golden eggs just waiting to be formed?"

I just knew Grizz would fall silent at the mention of his cherished eggs. No snappy remark now, eh? Serves him right. I'll just need to keep his attention for a few more minutes.

No, wait. Perhaps something else could keep him in line.

"What-"

"But.. seeing as how my presence is not needed, I'll just take my findings with me."

In that moment, I whipped around and reached for the vials with my right fin. If I snatched them fast enough, I could pretend that I'm about to destroy these vials or run away, and therefore get a reaction out of Grizz.

But alas, all it took was a black gloved hand forcibly grabbing my wrist and holding it in place for that plan to crumble. There was another in this room, it seemed!

I glanced to my left and like with Mr. Grizz I saw naught but a darkened outline of the person stopping me. Their build looked to be slim, and I could make out a trench coat of sorts wrapped around their body. Their eyes- yellow and oval-shaped- somehow remained visible in the darkness, hardened into a piercing stare. They also nearly reached my height. They were definitely an inkling.

"Don't try it. Trust me," their stern, light voice commanded. Yes, this person was an adult female inkling, and perhaps a close associate to Grizz? More importantly, just who was she?

"I wasn't.. actually going to," I said back in a smug manner, pulling my fin free from the woman's grip. Surprisingly strong, I had to say. Still, she only narrowed her stare at me.

"Anything else you wanna let us know? I'm all ears," Grizz leaned slightly forward on his seat.

You know what? Forget the games, I've got his attention now. Might as well dump everything I know and get things moving as soon as possible. Well, not _everything_ -everything..

"The monster—or rather the humanoid salmonling— that terrorized us last night did not come from outside, but rather from within inkopolis's walls. By hiding among your younger workers, it was able to infiltrate the city effortlessly, and with our guards down once night fell, it was the opportune time to strike."

"I believe the salmonid part. Humanoid, though? Those don't exist.."

"He's not exactly wrong, sir," the inkling woman spoke up. "When interviewed, most of the witnesses gave similar descriptions of the creature. A common trait they mentioned were the gray scales and tail it had, very similar to chums, along with a curved snout and red eyes. However it's shape was unlike any of the salmonids we know about, more bipedal and with hands and feet. Some of the witnesses even confused it for a crazed inkling."

"That's impossible!" Grizz exclaimed, slamming his hands on his desk. "Couldn't they at least call us?! My men would've wiped da floor with that thing!"

"Would they now?"

Both the woman and Mr. Grizz looked at me as if I committed some dastardly deed as a child. Offended, much?

"I don't doubt your workers' skill in handling Salmonids, both young and old squids. But… well, I'd rather the footage I've recorded speak for itself."

They shared a confused glance (Or rather, the woman glanced at Grizz from what it looked like). Lucky for them, they won't have to remain that way any longer, for I brought the aforementioned footage with me. I laid the USB containing it down on Grizz's desk, and for the next few minutes the pair just sat there, watching everything I recorded from Jade's rampage. With how focused they were, how intently they stared at the sights and sounds of the baleful beast that was Jade in that moment, not even leaving any comment—I could even make out a slight gape in the woman's mouth—. The looks on their faces told me everything. Just as I predicted, they were shocked.

"Impossible.." The woman muttered in disbelief. Mr. Grizz merely let out a rancorous growl.

"The salmonling will only grow stronger from this point on, but that doesn't mean you can't strengthen your hunting tools as well."

They both looked at me again, and the woman even went so far as to leave Grizz's side and approach me. "Are you saying that we're not good enough against that monster?" She spat as she stared me down.

"G-goodness, no! Just that-"

"Look, I appreciate the support, but whatever ideas you have don't matter to me. I don't **need** your smart aleck telling me or my boss what we're doing wrong. I can catch a salmonling without any of your fancy toys just fine."

A cold sweat ran down my face. Such an attitude! If looks could kill, I wouldn't doubt that I'd already be in the afterlife.

"Simmer down, Nephrys," Grizz waved off, "Our guest 'ere hasn't finished yet."

The woman, or Nephrys as she was called, only grunted in response before taking a step back from where we stood. Phew..

"Right, so aside from that.. these vials I've given you hold only a tiny fraction of what's inside the salmonling that terrorized us. If we were to study it further with your resources, perhaps we'd be able to uncover more about its weaknesses," I continued to explain. There was only one thing left for me to do now.

"Eh, my men can just drown it in ink until the thing pops, like with every other salmonid. No need to search 'bout what we already know."

"Of course.. but you won't be able to get more than a couple of golden eggs out of your hunt. Not without employing other means, at least."

Grizz turned to me for clarification, at which point I brought out my final bargaining ticket: a medium-sized rolled up blueprint, which I summarily gave to him. He and soon after Nephrys got to reading the thing. I could see the bewilderment on the inkling's face as she continued to observe my fine work, the masterpiece I've been concocting ever since I attained Jade's ink.

"This machine.. would it really be capable of doing what's shown here?" Oh Nephrys, I'm not even sure if you're either stubborn or legitimately curious. Of course it will! It just needs a… test! And for it to be made a reality!

How I want to prove this insolent inkling wrong..

"Well, we may never know until it is put to work, which is another reason why I came to you." I answered in the most professional voice I could muster.

"Don't need ta say it; ya want me to fund the creation o' this doohickey, is that it?"

Straight to the point, then. Huh.

"Indeed. I believe that with my smarts and your resources, together we'll be able to capture the salmonling and all the secrets inside it. Then, suck it dry of all its eggs until there's nothing left."

Mr. Grizz chuckled. "Well.. You've got yourself a deal, kid."

Ahh, such words have never brought me so much joy before.

"But I will not accept any failures on your end, got it?"

I quickly gave him a positive nod with my head. Would he really think of me as a bumbling fool after what I've found for him? Never. I don't commit the same mistakes as the other clueless fools that wander this city.

"I'm leavin' you two in charge of this case. Do anything you can to get me that salmonling, understood?" Mr. Grizz ordered with a lazy wave of his hand.

Nephrys (who had positioned herself next to me) and I nodded. She glanced at me with that neutral scowl of hers before returning her stare to Mr. Grizz. I couldn't help but slightly smirk. Don't you worry Mr. Grizz...

"I assure you; you will have a salmonling at your doorstep."

Now, time to get to work.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello again. For this chapter I decided to try something different, as evident by the change in narrator POV. I hope it isn't too jarring of a change.**

 **Aside from that, It's been getting harder to know what things are going right or wrong during the process of writing without any reviews to point things out. For that, I once again say that reviews and feedback of any kind would be appreciated. Though, apologies if you've already lost interest in this. Still, I hope whoever reads this gets to enjoy some of it, at least.**

 **Until next time.**


	9. The Swing of Things (Part 1)

A moist, wet soil blanketed her feet. The warm air weaved in and around her body. A shimmering, blackened sea of water reflected in her eyes, distraught yet focused. And the sun, burning brightly and without relent, had begun to wrap the world around an orange glow.

A new day had dawned, and with it a new home.

The salmonling Jade continued to sit idly by a shore, taking in the horizon before her. This wasn't new to her, she'd done it many times back in Inkopolis. Back when she had any semblance of a normal life.

It always felt so refreshing, seeing the large body of light slowly depart in the distance (or in this and previous rare cases, seeing it emerge over the horizon) and brought a sense of peace to the girl. Somehow, just staring at that big ball of light eased her worries, if only for a moment.

Even now, a similar feeling was upon her. Warmth, security, peace, all these sensations fluttered within her mind as she continued to gaze at the sun, but there was also something else. Her eyelids partly closed as her frown deepened. She was alone, naked and on unfamiliar territory, with no way to return home unless she wanted to murder her lungs and limbs. She could almost feel goosebumps just thinking about that over and over.

Just **how** was she going to live here, alongside the very salmonids she so eagerly hunted down in the past? She knew nothing of their mannerisms, their routines, their likes and dislikes. Not even if they would see her as a weird, out of place mutant. There was so much she didn't know, and if there was anything that Jade hated more than her own insecurities, it was perpetual confusion.

"Unbelievable.. 'You'll be able to control yourself better by being with Shalmonids, durrr!' Great idea, Salem.." She mocked with a scoff. Jade almost wished for the idea to backfire if only to prove the aforementioned inkling wrong, but that would mean becoming a rabid monster again. She certainly didn't want for that to happen anytime soon.

Jade was so focused on her own thoughts she didn't hear the slurping and splashing of ink that was rapidly approaching her, and too late did she realize that there was someone else on the shore than when she felt something rough and grainy collide harshly with the back of her head. Bewildered, she whipped her head around to find it's source, but saw nothing that would lead her to the source of her sudden concussion. With no danger in sight, the salmonling turned her gaze to the shore and would've resumed her reflections once more had it not been for something else hitting her head again.

"Ow! Who's there?!" Jade yelled, snapping to the direction the object came from. Again, she could see nothing in her nearby vicinity at first, but a second glance yielded something of a discovery.

Off in the distance, she saw it: two smallfry jumping and laughing mischievously while throwing another pair of stones at her. They must've noticed her as well, for as soon as she set her eyes on the fishes, they immediately stopped in place. Her stare hardened and she bared her teeth in annoyance, and with just a couple of threatening steps forward she managed to send the pair of children into a panicked flee.

"Idiots.." She grumbled, relaxing her posture. She looked back on the shore, then to the conglomeration of.. houses in the distance. As much as she'd like to return to her contemplation, it wouldn't do much for her at the moment and seemed more like a hindrance. Her soured mood took away most of the interest, anyways, and Jade was sure that it could've distorted her thinking.

And so with one last shrug, Jade made up her mind and started to make her way back to the Salmonid… 'village'..

Oh That's right, she nearly forgot that the salmonids **had** an actual home. A village, to be exact. It should've been a startling but nonetheless simple revelation that engraved itself onto the salmonling's mind easily, but then again it was hard for her to remember many things at the moment.

* * *

Upon arrival, Jade was met with a very lively square. Dozens of Salmonids of different shapes and sizes scurried about, weaving in and out and around the varied constructions of scrap that resembled small 'buildings' and 'huts'. Many things happened in the span of a few seconds, some all at once even: near a pyramid-shaped hut a pair of chums were fighting over an orange gen, tussling and biting each other repeatedly. Right next to a large pond that lay at the center of the village, a trio of smallfry were chasing around each other in what looked like a game of tag. Between two buildings some Cohocks were carrying a set of metal plates over their heads, sauntering over to Jade and then away to parts unknown. The unsavory glances they sent as they passed by unnerved the salmonling, and she quickly sidestepped out of their path for fear something bad would happen. Said fear went as quickly as it came however.

Many more small occurrences unfolded around the salmonling while she wandered the village, some more violent than others. It unnerved her; the salmonids she fought during many a salmon run shift were wild, mindless beasts. These ones seemed a tinge more civilized, some even looked genuinely happy..

Of course, it was only by a small margin. Her sightseeing came to a halt upon feeling her right leg being grabbed by something small and squishy, and a peer down revealed a shivering smallfry clinging to her.

"Could you let go?" Jade huffed, attracting the attention of the smallfry. They looked up at her in confusion and ended up tucking themselves in further, leaving Jade confused. Were they hiding from something?

Apparently so, for soon after a small school of salmonids were coming her way. They all stopped in their tracks upon meeting face to face with Jade, however, and the excitement Jade saw in their faces for a few moments vanished. She glanced between the group and the smallfry clinging to her and her eyes narrowed.

"Ohhh,I get it.. you wanted to do something to this kid? To catch him in some sort of act, aren't you?" Jade asked pensively. The salmonids glanced between each other uneasily and muttered amongst themselves, until they all shook their heads in negation.

The smallfry clinging to her nodded affirmatively, however.

It is then that Jade grabbed the nearest chum by their head and brought it close to her, and with a scowl she threatened lowly "Lying really pisses me off, you know. If you don't want to have your head chomped off, you better leave the little one alone and scram."

Her threat did it's job effectively, for the chum she picked up hastily escaped her grasp and swam away, with the others behind it backing away and then leaving after Jade took a step forward and raised one of her claws threateningly. Once they were out of sight she brought her arm down again and dropped the tough facade almost instantly. The smallfry let go of her leg and chirped it's gratitude, to which Jade replied with a small smile"Any time," before she headed off somewhere else.

Rather, she was going to head off somewhere else, were it not for the same smallfry to cling to her legs again. Jade scoffed at this, and picked them up so that she could see it at eye level.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Tailpaws lady nice! Please be skipfin's fren!" The smallfry excitedly yelled.

"T-tailpaws?! What's that supposed to mean?!"

'skipfin' pointed with one of its fins to Jade's swaying tail, then to her feet and called each by their name before yelling "Tailpaws!" again. "Other fish call you that."

"Right.. cute nickname, but please call me Jade," The salmonling clarified. What a strange title..

"Jeeeiiiyyyd?" skipfin repeated, to which Jade clarified him again. "Heehee, funny!"

She didn't pay much mind to that last comment, and with nothing better to do she sat the smallfry so that it clung to her back and continued onward with her wandering.

Her bizarre, clueless wandering of an equally bizarre and clueless island.

" _A guide would be so helpful right now.. Too bad all I have is this little guy,_ " Jade lamented internally, glancing back to the smallfry. It looked happy simply laying on her back, and despite not minding its presence Jade felt it more ideal to drop it wherever its family was and continue on her own. She didn't need a load on her back, anyways.

But Jade still desired company, however. And for as much as she didn't want to admit it, her chances of thriving in here and gaining the salmonids' trust were higher with one of the island's salmonids at her side. Until she could find a better salmonid, this smallfry would have to do for now.

She didn't realize she was frowning until 'skipfin' pointed it out, the smallfry now perched on her right shoulder. "Fren sad?" It asked in their shrilly, raspy voice.

"Huh? O-oh no, not at all! Just bored, I guess.." Jade replied hastily, yet it was enough to convince skipfin. Not that she was actually bored. "Don't know what to do here."

"Wha?! But salmons do many things, we never bored!"

"Like what?"

Skipfin hopped down from Jade's shoulder and scurried off to parts unknown. The salmonling followed closely, and soon the pair arrived at what looked to be a wide sealed-off shore, some paces away from the rest of the village, and a lively one at that. Quite a few chums and smallfries were playing and simply having fun either on the muddy shore or in the water itself, though a lone Steelhead looked like the exception.

"Pool!" Skipfin exclaimed happily, throwing its stubby fins in the air.

Yet the display brought little excitement or joy to the salmonling. "T-that's not actually w.. w-water, is it?" She asked, fear present in her voice.

She was a fool for expecting anything other than the eager nod skipfin gave her. "Pool fun! Want to try?"

"Um.. uhhh... y-you can go ahead if ya want! I'll- I will join you in a bit!"

Jade's eyes darted from side to side and every direction in which Skipfin was out of view. She waved the smallfry off, and once the fish was out of sight Jade heaved a long, tired sigh. Already, she yearned for a break from this ridiculousness. If only she were able to change back to her former self at a whim..

As comforting as wishing things away were, without the sort of power to make said wishes a reality Jade found nothing to gain from fantasizing. Nothing that would aid her at the moment, anyways. She glanced to the Pool once more and with a nervous gulp took cautious steps towards it.

Water. Its cold, stinging blanket that enveloped Jade whenever she fell off from the terrain of a salmon run, along with the searing pain that burst all at once throughout her entire body, incessantly tearing her apart until she all but dissolved into temporary oblivion was nothing short of frightening for the girl. She'd liken it to burning up. No matter how much she flailed or screamed for help in those moments, they did nothing to stop the inevitable. Her pain ending as soon as it came and respawning back to safe ground were meager comforts at best, but the worry that an unfortunate slip-up during battle might lead to experiencing that same pain again always lingered within Jade.

For that feeling to re-emerge once Skipfin told her of the pond would seem like a given. As one moment stretched into a hundred more, Jade was left helplessly staring into the tainted body of water. Would she feel pain again? Salmonids were able to freely swim in water without harm, perhaps she might be able to do the same thanks to her new body. It left her wondering, however: What if that ability didn't carry over, and the interference of her inkling half made entering water just as harmful as it has always been?

Only one way to find out. She just had to dip her toes in the edge of the pool, where the water barely reached her. She raised a foot up, but lingered for a moment before bringing it back down on the sand. She tried once more, but again was unwilling to simply plant her foot on the water and getting things over with. The risk of injury was just too much for her.

Jade turned around to leave, until once again she felt a pair of fins cling to her right leg. Skipfin had a look of confusion on its face as it asked Jade if she was entering or not.

"I'll.. come tomorrow, okay? Just not now," Jade answered apologetically. Skipfin only clung tighter to her leg and even tugged at it to keep Jade in place. It's efforts were nothing compared to Jade's strength as she easily got the smallfry off her. A sudden loud whistle startled her, and before she knew it she was lifted high into the air by a school of salmonids. "Wh-Hey! Put me down!"

From the corner of her eye Jade could spot skipfin among the crowd, looking up at her with a mischievous smile not unlike the two previous smallfry she saw before. This little brat.. did they call these other salmons? What were they thinking?!

Jade's protests fell on deaf ears as she was carried to a tall cliff near the pond. The salmons all cheered and hollered upon reaching the top, and with a collective heave they began winding up.

"Wait! I-I can't get in the water!"

"Sink or swim, Tailpaws!" One of the chums yelled excitedly.

"Prove yer mettle!" Another hollered

"Work fins!" A third salmonid encouraged.

The racket continued similarly, until with one last sway they all launched the salmonling off to the body of water below. The descent was fast, with little to no time for Jade to register what was about to happen. She was left helpless to do nothing but scream and flail around in the air. Before she knew it she hit the water, and once more felt the liquid blanket wrap around her. She curled into a fetal position, braced for the inevitable, yet it never came.

Opening her previously shut eyes showed the salmonling a realm of dark green all around her, with many small bubbles and particles floating about, though she was unable to find much else upon looking around beyond vague outlines and a pale light above. She could feel the water all around her, yet despite it's similar traits it all felt different this time. The water here was warm and soothing, perhaps even refreshing to her skin, a far cry from the one surrounding inkopolis. As if the constraining blanket from before could now enrich her, heal her and guide here where need be. Somehow merely drifting in this mass of liquid caused Jade to feel at peace.

Was this how it always felt like to the salmonids? How the ocean was supposed to be? If so, she wouldn't mind laying about in here for a couple more minutes, or even hours. Jade closed her eyes again, and allowed herself to be caressed by the waters.

That was, until she felt herself be clamped around the jaws of something and was then lanched out of the water.

* * *

It didn't last enough.

Some time later Jade had left the Pond in a huff, an ever-excitable skipfin trailing behind her. Her stay could've been a lot longer and more pleasant, if it weren't for a rude interruption courtesy of the Pond's resident Steelhead. And just when she was beginning to enjoy it, too…

The smallfry scooted closer to the salmonling and with a stutter asked "J-j-Jade like Pond?"

"Not a bad choice, Skipfin," Jade praised, "Would have been better if certain people weren't nosy, but eh, what can ya do…"

Skipfin emitted a happy chirp upon hearing that. "Is Jade going to do more things?"

"Nah. I'm pooped today, now I just wanna go to a bed of some sort."

"Hm.. what is bed?"

Jade looked at Skipfin incredulously, stopping her walk for a moment. "Uh.. it's where you lay down and take a nap after a long day. Small, kinda fluffy and soft? Don't you have one anywhere?"

Skipfin's eyes lit up and he nodded fervently with his head. "Yaya! Skipfin know of bed nearby!"

And so the smallfry led Jade back the way they came from, eventually reaching a small hut not too far away from the rest of the village. Strangely it was vacant and without an owner. It was a free resting place though, so Jade wasn't complaining. She laid down on the makeshift bed made of a large slate of rock and stitched together cloth of various random colors. A bit rough and somewhat uncomfortable when she laid down in certain conditions, but nonetheless usable, and far better than sleeping on the dirt while in open air. "Finally.. my feet were starting to ache. Thanks a lot Skipfin."

Skipfin merely bowed it's small body in gratitude, and with one last goodbye departed for the day. It wasn't long before sweet, peaceful dreams consumed Jade once more in her slumber.

* * *

A new day had dawned, and with it, new fears.

The sun had just risen over the horizon and already a few of the resident Salmonids were up and about, scrambling to reach their different posts and begin the day. Among these was Skipfin, still as jolly as yesterday, who was headed for Jade's new hut. Yet upon entering he found Jade mumbling and tossing and turning in her sleep, beads of sweat trickling down her snout and face scrunched up in discomfort. Skipfin looked on with worry; Something bad must've been plaguing the girl's dreams.

"Mnh.. no, please… I didn't.. mean to…" Jade continued to mumble. The smallfry felt prompted to lightly shake Jade awake, yet his efforts brought more than a stir. She jumped awake with a scream of fright and haphazardly fell off her bed. Jade frantically looked around in her nightmare-induced panic. Only noticing the presence of a smallfry backed into a wall brought the salmonling back to her senses, and allowed her to calm her nerves.

"Sorry about that.." Jade apologized sheepishly. Skipfin went to her side and asked what was troubling Jade, yet without even sparing a glance she answered "It was just a nightmare, don't worry."

She stood up and left the hut without another word.

Skipfin furrowed his brows. If that was her attempt at lying then she did a terrible job at it. Something clearly troubled his two-legged friend, and he wasn't going to let that slide. Skipfin didn't wish to be kept in the dark, so he followed Jade.

The aforementioned girl strode along the sandy terrain of the island and took in the gnarled sights, if only to keep herself distracted. Yet hard as she tried, one fragment of her mind always wanted to go back to that annoying, harmless, stupid nightmare. It was just a figment of her imagination playing tricks on her. The accusations, the cries of disgust, the shrieks of terror, the fingers pointed at her, The.. individuals from which some of them came from; Jade knew they couldn't actually harm her. Her.. friends? companions? would never say whatever insults her mind cooked up at her. It was just her insecurities playing with her, no?

So why did a pointless nightmare seem so damn scary? Ridiculous, downright idiotic! Things weren't going to end up the way she feared..

Yet for as much as she reassured herself and repeated the mantra ad nauseum, the lingering images from her dream would not vanish.

It was only by the touch of a slimy fin that Jade was then able to register how much of a crumpled, trembling mess she'd become while introspecting. She turned to see the smallfry at her side once more, caressing her scaly wrist and looking just as concerned as earlier.

"..Is Jade alright?" Skipfin rasped.

"Whaddya care," Jade shot back grimly, eliciting a flinch from the Salmonling.

"B-b-but you Skipfin's fren, a-and frens help themselves be happ-py, no?"

A scoff escaped Jade's mouth. "Do you really wanna be friends with a freak you just met?"

Her question disarmed the smallfry, who remained silent and looked down in thought.

"Look at yourself, Skipfin. Look at the others around you. Now compare all that to me," Jade instructed upon turning her body over so that she was sitting, and watched as the smallfry did as instructed. He looked just as confused as before.

"I'm not like you.. Or any salmonid really. I don't have fins for arms, I move with my legs instead of my tailfin and I can barely swim in the water. And all these activities you do that I've never heard of like diving into a pond or.. or whatever else the other salmonids do, they're scary to me. I-I can't do them."

"But Jade is salmon... Salmons no look the same all the time, yet they always work together."

"I already told you, didn't I? It doesn't matter what you think, I'll never be able to fit in with the salmonids. I'll never.. fix myself…"

"Then skipfin help!" The smallfry declared, sliding over to Jade's back and making repeated attempts to push her. "Skipfin help Jade be a great Salmonid!"

"Don't bother. There's not much you can do, anyways," Jade muttered. Skipfin was having none of it however, still insistent on getting Jade to stand up.

"May B not, but Skipfin still want to help fren."

Her expression of confusion masked the seething anger she felt inside. Any more of it and she'd swat the little fish away and leave him to rot. What was it with people being so insistent? A voice in her head assured Jade she didn't need his company..

She'd be lying to herself if that truly were the case. It felt nice to have someone to be with, even if they were mostly clingy and clueless like Skipfin. Besides, through him she could learn even more about the island and its people, along with simply having a buddy at her side. If she already earned the acknowledgement and 'friendship' of one of the salmonids, then earning the rest of the salmonids' trust might not be as hard as it seemed.

"I.. I appreciate it, Skipfin. Thank you." The aforementioned smallfry leapt into Jade's arms in turrn and nuzzled with her, bringing a giggle from Jade. She slowly caressed the smallfry, though it was a nervous action.

A loud screech suddenly broke through their ears, and the pair turned to see where it came from. Two figures, wildly moving about, it seemed. After sharing a knowing glance, Jade got up with Skipfin in her arms and headed to the source of the noise.

* * *

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hello again to all readers.**

 **Admittedly, progress on this fic has been far slower than I would like, mostly due to my own laziness more than anything, real life esponsibilites, and my impatience at not wanting to leave you all waiting too long. Such is why I decided to put out just part of the next chapter, at least to have something before it is truly complete. Still, I hope the content is able to satisfy you. Once again, feedback is welcome. Until next time, whenever that may be.**


	10. The Swing of Things (Part 2)

Following the direction of repeated, loud screeches led Jade and Skipfin to a sight that certainly wasn't what she expected. A pair of chums slapping and bashing against one another while their jaws both held onto a singular piece of meat. Jade's yellow eyes narrowed and her mouth was slightly agape in her unamusement; food was always a necessity, but was fighting and injuring one another for one measly slab of meat really necessary?

Apparently yes, for neither of the chums looked like they were about to relent anytime soon. "Wait here, Skipfin," Jade ordered as she set down the smallfry on the ground and walked up to the fighting chums. She picked them both up from the ground and kept their flailing bodies apart, in turn causing the meat to drop onto the dirt, and gave a glance at their displeased faces.

"Hey, cut it out you two. There's no point in fighting," Jade reasoned.

"My sustenance! He tried to take it!" One chum argued.

"Headbutt found it first before he came to steal it!" The second fired back. Jade tightened her grip on the two to stop them from yelling at each other again.

"I get it. Really, if I were hungry too, I wouldn't wanna give up my lunch. But there's a better way to go about this, and it's really simple too."

The chums both faced Jade with a confused brow, and she dropped them both on the ground and quickly snatched the meat before either of them could take it. She simply tore the meat in two halves and handed one to each salmonid. Both of them immediately got to work devouring their respective halves.

"See? Simple."

The chums nodded, and after a trade of friendly waves they went on their way. Skipfin hurried toward Jade again and leapt to her shoulder, and after a brief exchange the pair were on their way once more.

"Wut wussat yu did, Jade?" Skipfin asked, his eyes radiating curiosity.

"I let them share the food," The girl answered in a matter-of-factly tone, "Nothing special really."

Skipfin's oooing noise implied otherwise. "Shharrriing? So two salmon can eat one food and be happy?"

"Yes…? I thought they already taught you that. Sharing is caring after all."

The smallfry shook his head however, much to Jade's surprise. "When not enough food, salmons fight for it. Winner gets to have all of food."

"That's.. really dumb, not gonna lie."

"Ya.. Skipfin never get any food, even when trying to! Skipfin hungry…" The smallfry pouted sadly, a brief rumble soon coming from his belly.

"I can't help you there," Jade frowned, now cradling the smallfry in her arms. "But maybe we can find something while looking around!"

"Like dat fire over there?"

Jade took her sight forward, and sure enough she could see a bonfire in the distance along with a school of salmonids surrounding it.

"What the.." She approached it with cautious steps, and upon closer inspection it looked to be a roasting of sorts, with a few chunks of meat or smaller fish on sticks being dangled over the flame. The other salmonids either stared intently at the fire with hungry tongues or bashed one another impatiently. The apparent cook noticed Jade and immediately brushed her off with a fin and the phrase "No meat!"

Jade glanced at the five or so chunks of meat lying around next to the cooking salmonid, then looked at the fish itself and furrowed her brows. "Sure, and then you'll say that the water's frozen."

"Meat for waiting customers. Want some, tailpaws will have to wait," The cook replied, not taking his eyes off the fire.

"And how long that will take is..?"

"Two days! Now git in line!"

Jade scoffed. No way was she going to wait that long for just some food! But there didn't seem to be a way to get any, either. At least not on land..

But what of the sea? Surely she could grab something there, like a fish or two. Would the salmonids be bothered with what she could assume was cannibalism, though?

Eh. Probably not.

She walked up to the nearest shore, her gaze focused on the waves crashing below her feet. She knew what she had to do, but how to go about it..

"U-um.. Skipfin? Can you swim well?"

The smallfry nodded yes.

"Good. I'll need your help in these next few moments, and I want you to give it all you've got, ok?"

The smallfry nodded again, and after another apprehensive look at the waves, Jade leapt into the sea.

And not even ten seconds later threw herself back onto the shore. With shaky hands and legs, Jade picked her shivering self up from the sand. She craned her neck to take another long look at the sea; the stupid, annoyingly slick thing that can't help but get everywhere in her, and hesitated.

"What wrong, Jade?" Skipfin's sudden question broke Jade out of her stupor, his head poking out from the water.

"...N-nothing. I'll take a little bit of time, is all," The girl reassured with a fake smile, and Skipfin dived back down. That should keep him occupied for a little longer.

With firmer steps, Jade approached the water, stopping at the bit of land closest to the sea. She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath, and reassured herself; There was nothing to lose, there was nothing to fear. The waves could harm, yes, but they held no power over her. This time, they would be her guide. All she had to do was believe, focus..

And dive in.

So Jade did as her conscious told. She felt different somehow upon entering the water; lighter, and as if she'd shrunk and her legs were bound together, not to mention having webbed stubs for hands. Wait a second-

She'd changed forms! She now resembled a small grey fish with orange fins on her tail and across the top of her body with a white underbelly, bearing a closer resemblance to the other salmonids. How she managed to achieve it was of no importance at the moment; She had a sea to roam and some fish to hunt, and this form w

The salmon zipped to and from all over the expanse of water, doing little twirls and spins every so often just because. Soon, she spotted a small fish minding its own business and dove towards it at full speed. Catching the fish with her mouth was no challenge at all, and though she couldn't quite gulp it down yet, the taste of its flesh on her teeth sure was sweet. Surprisingly, Skipfin managed to catch one all on his own as well, and upon seeing each other the two salmons chirped happily.

The rest of the supposed 'hunting session' went by smoothly, with the pair working together to catch more and more fish. By the time they got out of the water, Jade and Skipfin had collected so many of the buggers that their respective hands and fins were quite literally full. Jade couldn't help but snicker at the dumbstruck faces the salmonids by the fire had as she passed them. The cook, most of all, looked like he'd seen a ghost with the way his wide eyes were trained on the many fishes that Jade promptly dropped at his tailfin.

"Dinner's ready," The salmonling snarked in a sweet tone. With the cook unable to answer with anything more than a stutter, Jade held on to one of her fishes and took the stick with cooked meat, and seeing that there were no protests from anyone nearby she began to walk away.

She almost laughed after listening to the sounds of hungry salmonids scrambling to get as many of the fish as they could.

* * *

Satisfied with her handiwork, Jade departed the feasting site with Skipfin at her side. Where to go next was unknown to them both, however, and for some time they remained wandering aimlessly.

"Seriously.. I'm starting to think everyone here has the brain of a flea. How couldn't they have come up with my idea earlier?"

"Salmons not fleas.. why Jade say that?" Skipfin asked, looking up at Jade with his confused pair of eyes.

"Well.. seeing as how they didn't think of the most basic solutions to their little food problem and don't know of things like sharing or how to cook a fish the proper way, or the simple act of looking for more fish.. you just don't seem like a very smart folk to me."

Skipfin looked down and emitted a whine, and Jade in turn brought him to her eye level. "No offense, though! Really, with just a little more practice and.. studying.. you'll get better!"

"Really?" The smallfry wondered, to which Jade nodded with a small smile. The smallfry cheered.

The pair eventually made it to the entrance of a large canyon, with twin rocky hills looming high. They passed the entrance and continued moving forward, however they were not alone. From the shadows and behind a row of rocks, a Cohock lied in wait. With a dozen or so salmonids by his side, they watched the salmonling pass.

"That her, alright," one among the group said.

"strrrange finz she has," Another noted, furrowing their brows.

"Indeed... " The cohock nodded, his bulging yellow eyes narrowing at the girl. Studying. Assessing. "Tailpaws sour, stiff even.. but nothing some.. cooking up won't fix once she joins usss…"

It wasn't long before a loud yell reverberated all around Jade and Skipfin, even making them cover their ears. Once it stopped, she looked to see the school of salmonids in full and out in the daylight, the Cohock standing in front of his dozen or so lackeys.

" **Tailpaws**!" He called. All manner of noise and racket behind the fat salmonid ceased, and the raising of his fin to signal her out brought all eyes on her.

Jade froze. She'd been caught in the headlights of woe and intrigue called attention. Lucky her..

"Um.. me?" She pointed a claw at herself in a clueless manner, to which the Cohock followed with a deep hearty laugh. "Yes, yu!" He confirmed, "Yu look a little pale there, Hen," The Cohock noted, it's bulging yellow eyes probing Jade in a suggestive manner, "Nothing a little shake-up can't fix tho, eh boys?"

The other salmonids nodded and cheered eagerly. Some eyed the salmonling with suspicion and vice, others with simple curiosity.

"Wha-ha-hat? Nah, I'm fine! Better than fine!" Jade waved off. A misstep back caused her stance to wobble and slip briefly, but she was able to remain standing.

"Fine, yu say.. but yer quivering like a snatcher says otherwise, Hen."

"I-I just.." Jade looked down for a few seconds, but her stare only hardened upon facing the Cohock again. "I just need a little practice."

It was nerve-wracking. She couldn't drop her brave face for even a moment, or else these ruffians would surely commit terrible and filthy deeds onto her.

The cohock chuckled once more, "Then yu came to the right place! Let's give the new fish a warm welcome, boys… **with some SPICE**!"

At that, 4 salmonids rushed Jade all at once, each swinging their frying pans wildly at the salmonling. With quick sidesteps and even quicker dodges Jade remained unharmed against the salmonids' advances, and a wide swing of her fishy tail swatted all of them away. A yell from behind alerted her, and she ducked under another salmon's sneak attack just in time to then kick him away with the brunt of her leg.

"GIT THAT TAILPAWS!" The cohock ordered, his lackeys already descending on the salmonling.

She in turn picked up Skipfin in her arms and began running, though her digitrade legs were too slow to outrun the chums and smallfry that soon encircled her. Any that dashed or lunged at her were swiftly kicked away, and Jade managed to succesfully dodge or duck out of the swings of some chum's frying pans.

A hit from the back caused Jade to stagger and drop Skipfin, creating an opening for another chum to rush in and bite on Jade's abdomen. With a pull, he tore off the girl's ruined t-shirt, while another did the same with her shorts. In retaliation Jade used her tail to slap the attacker behind her before swinging a claw and slashing at the pants ripper.

Yet another salmon charged, bashing it's head against her chest and pushing Jade to the ground, where upon a few more chums all jumped in and began 'kicking' her down with their tails.

"Knock it off.." Jade demanded in a low growl, pitifully shielding her head with her hands. The fishes would not relent, however. The cohock merely watched from where he stood while skipfin, who had fallen off Jade's back, was left helpless to do anything to stop his larger peers.

"GET OFF ME!" Jade threw the chums off her with great strength, scattering them in the air to different directions. Awe and surprise permeated through the crowd backed away, some even murmuring worriedly amongst themselves. Jade merely looked back, her stare furrowed and piercing, as if silently taunting them to try again. No one dared to step forward.

Jade smirked before turning and walking away. Of course they wouldn't, not unless they were dumb enough to want their faces smushed up by her. She'd slash them, bite them off, mash them into paste, utterly rip out these stupid fishes and feed on them. Yes, they'd be very delicious..

She stopped and shook those thoughts away. Only savages would dare to do any of those things, and she definitely wasn't one, nor would she try to be even if her own senses demanded it. Still, it was hard to not wonder just what they tasted like..

Jade shook her head again with a whine. Yet the moment she took another stop, a sudden heavy weight dropped onto her back and caused Jade to buckle under it. It was none other than the cohock that started this whole charade, who now stood triumphantly over her splayed out body.

"A feisty Hen yu arr.. but still lacking in taste," The Cohock surmised like a critic.

"I don't understand half of what you're on about!" Jade complained while struggling under the large salmonid.

"Soon you will see. The earth boils, it yearns for new sustenance. Through the heat of battle, we grow ever succulent, ever stronger, until our flesh is ripe for the soil to feast on. You too can gain strength; and with your flesh, nurture the earth. Given enough time in the heat, that is.."

" _Is this guy for real?!_ " Jade practically screamed in her mind, her eyes going as wide as dinner plates. 'Hen'? 'Heat?' 'Lacking in taste'? 'feasting soil?' All these terms and meanings she didn't understand being thrown around all at once, she was sure her head would explode by the end of the week. And it was only noon…

At the moment, the salmonling desired nothing more than to get this looney Cohock out of her sight, and after taking a few seconds to ponder how, the answer was clear in her mind.

Jade simmered down and with a bit of effort shifted into her fish form to slip out under the Cohock while he wasn't looking. Once he finally noticed her absence under his weight his bulging eyes widened and darted around from side to side, looking for where the salmonling had slipped off to. It was too late, for Jade had already sneaked up behind the salmonid.

"I lack 'taste', huh?" Jade asked threateningly, grabbing the Cohock by the cusp of his head and bringing him down and around to her eye level, "How about this, then?!"

The salmonling kneed the Cohock in the head, disorienting him, and with his belly exposed Jade then threw a powerful punch at his chest.

She didn't count on her right fist to instead tear through the salmonid and leave a gaping hole in the middle of his belly.

The gathered Salmonids went wild at this, with shouts and yells hogging the air and many faces of shock and awe transfixed on the pair. Jade let out a gasp, her eyes wide and panicked, and hastily pried her forearm off the Cohock. She could only watch in disbelief as he fell on his back, gurgling and bleeding green ink, and his subordinates rushed to his side.

"O-oh my gosh.. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to-!"

The Cohock's crazed laugh interrupted Jade, however. Even as ink dripped from his cavity and snout and his tiny fins slowly went limp, he continued to cackle as if having the time of his life. Her body tensed as she watched; what was it with this guy?! His body was dying, his consciousness vanishing and he was _laughing_ about it?! How _could_ he?!

"That's it. Your taste, your fire.. doubtless it will grow with each step you take… This first deed of yours has already refined it. Yes, the soil will be most pleased with your progress-!" The cohock's sentence couldn't finish as he entered a coughing fit.

Jade glanced uneasily between the Cohock's eyes and the hole on his chest. "S-save your strength, ok? I'll call a doctor, they'll be able to… to.."

Jade didn't speak further. It was no use. No one and nothing here would be able to heal the cohock, let alone stop the bleeding.

As the school of salmonids gathered around the Cohock, he continued. "Ah… Do not trrrouble yurself with me, Hen, this is merely the next step in life. Soon I will be.. one with our soil…"

Not a second passed before the Cohock gave his last breath and his eyes fluttered shut. The deed was done.

The salmonids glanced between one another and the now lifeless body of the Cohock, while various mutters fluttered between their ears and the gusts of wind. Jade's body stiffened and her mind raced; What would they do to her now? Some form of punishment?

One chum swam closer and peered through the empty chest of the dead salmonid before facing his kin and remarking, "He's left us…"

"Tailpaws did it.." Another from the crowd added.

"He.. he has passed on! He has achieved unity with the land! Praise be to Headtrout!"

The salmonids then began a sort of chant, bowing up and down repeatedly in the process, all the while four chums from the crowd picked up the lifeless body of Headtrout, holding it high for all nearby to see.

"O Headtrout, much feasts there are to be had~ May your tailfin and beak swim evermore~" They chorused solemnly, as the 4 carriers began to haul the Cohock back to the village.

Jade remained silent, however, her stern gaze also fixated on the departing quintet. Skipfin's small frame soon skittered over to her side and looked up eagerly at her. "Are you o-k, Jade?"

"I'm.. I'm fine, Skipfin. You can, uh, go on without me," Jade said with a shaky breath.

The smallfry tilted his head at this, but nonetheless acknowledged Jade and skittered off to the village with the rest of the fishes. Alone once more, Jade looked down at her dirty, stained right arm; the arm that plunged into Headtrout's chest and took his life. Perhaps some more care was required if she were to hone her strength. Scratch that, a city's worth of care was needed if she truly wanted to keep control.

* * *

Dusk was rapidly passing, and the salmonling had left for a small reserve of water near a cluster of huts to once more make sense of the myriad of worries that plagued her head. It's not that she actually cared for 'Headtrout' or whatever his name was, he was just another Cohock. She's beaten plenty of them before. Truthfully, her main worry was if the others would bring any punishment unto her because of her action. Anything of the sort sounded dreadful, moreso if she receives some sort of exile.

Jade _really_ didn't want to be kicked out..

But those worries were for later, she reminded herself. For now, she was still thirsty. So she took another sip of water. And another, and another, and one more after that. As many as necessary. The water would surely wash away her troubles if she kept at it.

It's rancid taste caught up, however, and Jade spat out a long stream of water at the nearby dirt. She gagged, disgusted.

"Jaaaade!" The shrill, raspy voice of Skipfin called out. "Come village! ce-re-moh-nee about to start!"

Jade raised a brow. A ceremony? That sounded unusual… still, perhaps it was worth a look. She stood up and walked away from the reserve, and with Skipfin leading the way she returned to the village.

Another strange sight greeted Jade; A big open barbecue grill at the center of the area, with a ring of fire encircling it and two rows of stairs in front and behind it. And so many salmonids out and about, It was as if the entire village came together around this thing. Definitely seemed like a big deal.

One of the fishes, wrinkled, frail and likely old, hopped to the top of one of the stairs and addressed all gathered. His words were little more than drivel, and Jade zoned out two or three times while the elder salmonid droned on. The others seemed interested, however. Eventually he raised and slammed what seemed to be a staff held in his fin two times, and all immediately fell silent. Jade looked around; the sky was darker now, yet no lights have been ignited yet. What was going on?

The answer soon came. With torches in fins and a load behind their back, three salmonids advanced in unison, the crowds parting to make way for their approach.

"What the.." Jade trailed off, looking over to see the trio. Those things they were holding looked awfully familiar, the large one especially. Their squirming and shifting was also unnatural. Almost as if they were _bodies_.

They stopped at the top of the frontal stairs and dumped what she now identified as salmonids onto the grill, and upon placing a small torch near it the grill heated up. The dead salmonids- Headtrout among them- were being literally cooked up in the grill.

Jade looked on, a mix of curiosity and fear present on her widened eyes. The villagers didn't even flinch, and while a set of drums began to play out of nowhere the fishes on the stairs began another chant. The air suddenly felt hot, and the fishes in the grill resembled less and less normal salmonids as the grilling continued at an ever faster pace.

Jade could feel the waves of heat brush against her scales and skin, even having to wipe off a few beads of sweat on her face, and the fires around the grill seemed to intensify. Though her sight was trained on the tall machine, another object was noticeable from the corner of her eye.

Up in the air, a pair of propeller hat-wearing salmonids (Chinooks, as they were called by Grizzco) held a wide black pot lid and began to gently lower it down.

"Wait a sec. Is that..?"

The smoke that formed around the machine made things a bit hard to see, but she could still make something out. Three large pinkish tails poking out, and together with the grill and the descending grill created an all too familiar image. Once the chinooks reached a low enough altitude, lid and grill linked together, closing the contraption. It whirred and trembled, until it abruptly stopped.

At the sound of a high-pitched loud whistle, steam rose from the bowel of the grill-like machine. A small lens suddenly ignited with a crimson light, and after the metal rods that supported the grill extended and rose it to it's tallest height, a deafening screech that sounded like the rubbing together of two jagged pieces of metal pierced the night air and ensnared the ears of all present.

With a large pink tail poking out from inside, the machine rolled out of the pedestal and into the crowd.

"It's a Griller," Jade said in disbelief, "S-so this is how they're made?"

The newly activated Griller was met by a standing ovation from the gathered salmonids, cheering and hollering loudly in celebration of their new protector. At least that's what a few of the chums near Jade mentioned.

Strange. As it paraded around the crowds, it seemed to return some of the greetings and high fives the salmonids gave with a few twirls and spins of its wheels, although in a very stiff manner. Wasn't it made from the deceased salmons? Did their.. wandering spirits or something guide the machine,gave it a will of its own while hunting down salmon runners during the shifts?

A mystery to be sure, but one that Jade didn't feel like finding the answer for right now. During it's rollaround the griller stopped right in front of her and Skipfin. Though the smallfry greeted the machine with joy in his face, hopping up and down and reaching for the Griller with his fins, Jade instead froze, daring not to move a muscle and her yellow-green eyes looking up in fear at the machine as it's red optic bore down on her. It aimed a thin laser at her, and remained that way for an unnaturally long amount of time. Others even stopped to look at the supposed stand-off and wondered what was wrong. Did the Griller feel inclined to attack her?

And yet, nothing happened. The laser vanished and the Griller rotated in place- a nod perhaps?- before continuing on its parade.

"Uh..? Wut was that about?" Skipfin wondered aloud.

"I think.. I think it just wanted to say hello."

"But rolley grill said hi to everyone. Why focus on us?"

"Whatever it is.." Jade took a look around the lively square, the griller that moved about, and then moved her gaze to the night sky and the new moon overlooking everything below.

"I'm sure it's a sign. A sign that everything's gonna work out."


	11. Salmon-Runnin' In The 12,000s

With a bounce in his steps, Khal eagerly ran along some streets in Inkopolis until he reached the entrance of the Square. The boy couldn't wipe off the smile on his face; With his injuries fully healed and no sign of any creepy monsters or other things around and permission from his parents, there was nothing stopping him from playing again. Today it would just be him having fun with his friends–!

Wait a minute. He couldn't see anyone around upon taking a glance at the Square…

"Where are they?" He asked worriedly to himself, and at once he set off to search for his trio of 'friends'. However despite asking around every cephalopod and sea denizen he came across and looking forwards and backwards through every nook and cranny of the place, his search bore no results.

With a whine, and a slumped waist, Khal dragged his feet to the nearest table and sat down in a huff. Of course something had to go wrong..

"Seriously, where has she been? It's been more than a week and Jade hasn't said anything," The boy complained sadly. "And Salem and Yzel haven't bothered to come back either. Ohhh, this suuucks…"

Some 'friends', those three were. Ditching him without a word..

Khal's ears picked up the sound of a loud, familiar jingle emanating from the Grizzco building. No later than a second, the iron bars blocking entrance slid open, and already he could see a few inklings making their way inside.

Khal looked around for another minute, hoping-begging- that he'd find one of his friends in the square. But yet again, it was to no avail.

"Guess it's just me again," Khal grumbled and stood up from his seat. At least he could pass the time by playing, though going at it alone sounded boring. He glanced at the Grizzco office and slowed to a stop in his walk, then looked between it and the Deca Tower.

The latter wouldn't bring him any harm. The former would help him worry less about those disgusting salmons. But without the others by his side, it seemed… scary. And if that humanoid creature was involved…

" _No_!" He quickly shook his head. " _D-don't think about the monster. It's gone, a-and it won't hurt me.. It can't…_ "

With a shaky breath, he walked up the slope that led to the office and stopped at it's doorstep. The boy stopped and gave one last look back at the Square.

"I just want to see you again, Jade.." He lamented aloud, as if his words would ever reach anyone.

So without another moment to spare, he briskly stepped inside the walls of Grizzco, with 3 others joining suit.

* * *

"The squids have come! Dirty egg thieves have come!"

These were the news that Jade had come upon the morning after the Griller ceremony. It was sudden too: One moment after waking up she was minding her own business and playing with Skipfin, the next she glances over and notices a commotion among a group of salmonids, and the one after that, well…

Not very pleasant, to be sure. The cohock who brought the news was shouting up a storm, and the salmonids around her were either arguing amongst themselves or giving bizarrely nervous or angry glances and mutters to one another. Jade couldn't recall any previous occasion in which she's seen a salmonid- or a whole school of them for that matter- scared at the mention of inklings. She even saw a nearby Steelhead look very much angry, and that Salmonid was the biggest and likely one of the strongest of them all! What did he have to worry about?

She couldn't blame them; her fellow squids usually gave no quarter to the fishes and tirelessly wiped any hordes that came without a second thought, along with taking what she now assumed was something very important to them.

She almost regretted her time under the employ of Grizzco. Almost.

Even Skipfin, who was currently sitting on her right shoulder, had a dread-filled expression on his face. Jade frowned and moved her hands to pick up the smallfry and hold him in front of her.

"Don't worry, Skipfin. They're not gonna lay a sucker on you," Jade reassured, stroking his short mohawk gently. It managed to relax his shivering body, but Jade could tell he was still uneasy.

"B-but what if squids come? W-what if they hurt Jade?!" Skipfin blubbered as his eyes started to water. Jade shushed him once more, however.

"C'mon, Don't be silly; they don't know where we are!"

Yet for as much as Jade continued to try reassuring her friend, the smallfry still had a pout on his face. Just looking at it caused the inverse of what she desired; now she was frowning and worried too!

"Go now!" The same cohock shouted, "Squids cannot take! **our**! **EGGS**!"

The cry prompted cheers and hollers from a dozen or so salmonids, and at once they rushed out in all directions. Frying pans, forks, spoons, anything and everything that could prove useful was taken along for the trip; it wasn't long before most of the nearby salmonids gathered near the shores, looking as if they were heading to war. Given the current circumstances, that might as well be the case for them.

Jade remained in place, however, still mulling over the news.

Her fellow inklings were formidable. These salmonids would never stand a chance even if they tried their hardest against them. She could get hurt, too, or worse: have her dual nature revealed to Grizzco if she were to leave the island. The entirety of Salem's plan could fail if she was careless.

Yet despite having this knowledge in mind, staying in the island seemed like such an boring, pointless idea. No way was Jade going to sit down and cower while a bunch of clueless salmons got themselves splatted; She would help them as a backup, their trump card to push back Grizzco's mooks, along with giving said unsuspecting inklings a warning.

Besides, the chances of her actually getting splatted were slim to none. It might even prove fun to experience a salmon run from the other side of the battle. Hm, perhaps she could even teach the fishes how to actually defeat an inkling..

"Stay here, ok? I'll be back soon," The salmonling informed her small companion, before setting him down and proceeding to jog behind the group of salmonids that were leaving. Though, perhaps she should've expected Skipfin would grab onto her foot and try to keep her from leaving. He shook his head furiously, pouting at Jade with big puffy eyes.

Jade sighed and knelt to the smallfry's level. "Skipfin.. I'll be fine," She cooed. Again, it failed to convince Skipfin, who shook his head again. Just what did it take for this fish to calm down?

"C'mon, don't you trust me? I won't go down as easily as the others, not without a fight."

"Squids too strong.."

"We can be strong, too. If we work together along with the other salmonids, I'm sure we'll be able to kick those squidiots out of here! Heck, this could be your chance, Skipfin!"

"For what?" The aforementioned smallfry asked helplessly.

Jade's mouth curled into a devious smile,"... Aren't you tired of being picked on by the others? Don't you wanna show them how **strong** and **tasty** you can be? Don't you wanna teach those mean bullies and squids a lesson?" Jade asked in a strangely dramatic and emotive voice, prompting Skipfin to nod fervently. "What better way to prove them wrong than by taking on and beating one of the squids yourself, eh?"

Suffice to say, Skipfin was left mesmerized by Jade's offer, and he eagerly leapt to her shoulder once more. "Yaya! Skipfin wanna kick and beat dirty squids!" He beamed, shifting and bouncing with such enthusiasm that it looked as if his previous worries never occurred at all.

"That's the spirit!" Jade praised with a grin, grabbing the smallfry and placing him on her shoulder once more. "Now come on, the others are about to leave!"

She sprinted to the edge of the shore just as the salmonids began jumping into the sea one by one. She managed to hop onto the back of a Steelhead and held on tight with her hands. She received an annoyed glance from said Steelhead, to which she shrugged in response. It didn't take long for them both to get used to one another, and soon the steelhead slithered out into the sea along with the two passengers resting from its back.

"Just you wait, Skipfin," Jade told the smallfry, "We're gonna teach those idiots a lesson…"

* * *

"... And force them back into the holes they came from!"

"...Uh-huh. Cool story, bro."

The fair-skinned inkling boy from which the yell came from looked down at the girl sitting next to him on the boat. "What, ya don't believe me?" He asked.

"Oh, I do. It's just that you didn't **have** to yell it out loud ya know," The dark skinned girl non-chalantly answered.

"I found it inspiring, personally! Now I really wanna kick some salmon tail!" Another girl praised with a grin, sitting parallel to the pair.

"Good to know there's at least someone appreciating my work," The boy had a smug smirk as he sat back down, to which the dark-skined girl scoffed. "Maybe you could learn a thing from her, Cerise."

While the trio of eager inklings continued to bicker and talk, Khal remained silent at the very back of the boat, his mind wandering to other things. Other individuals..

His ears began to hurt, and he had to rub a finger in one of them just to stop the slight ringing that followed. His gaze turned to the parting waves as he readjusted his cap. The swashing and bouncing water, the smell of the salty breeze slithering in and out of his nostrils, the ever-so welcoming sun gazing back at him all looked and felt pleasant, but together? Together they somehow put the boy at ease. A smile already started to form on his lips without Khal realizing it. He could lay down and experience the sensations of the sea for the entire afternoon and forget about his troubles for all he cared. Why stop something nice, after all?

But reality, and especially his nearby teammate, cared not for his comfort. A gloved hand suddenly whiffed into Khal's field of view and began to snap it's fingers continuously, making the boy flinch and unfortunately causing him to trip.

"Whoops!" The taller male shrugged, "You okay there, little guy?"

With a grunt, Khal sat up and eyed his coworker with thinly veiled annoyance. "Yeah, sure, what is it.."

The coworker chuckled, "Just wanted to check if you heard the memo."

"Um.. something about holes?"

The coworker could only shake his head. "Boy, you sure need to get those ears checked. I was saying-"

"Knock it off, Luka," The dark skinned inkgirl, Cerise, cut in with a huff. Luka merely shrugged in response before returning to the girl's side. "Just hope you're not as dense when the actual work starts," he expressed off-handedly.

Khal grit his teeth at Luka's words. Can't this idiot keep his mouth shut?

Nevertheless, Khal pushed his annoyance aside once he was given the signal to superjump onto the island. He couldn't distract himself on the job, despite wanting to get away from the other three as soon as possible. As a squid, he launched himself into the air and with his teammates fell on the landing point placed in the middle of the Spawning Grounds. He slowly and quietly surveyed the area with his eyes, remembering each spot where the salmonids would come.. along with the spots that they could easily surround him in. It'd be best not to enter any pits or lower areas.

Soon, he could hear the indistinct chatter of Mr. Grizz, along with a series of quick beeps through his earpiece. He mentally counted down with the beeps and braced himself for the chaos that would surely ensue.

 _3…_

 _2…_

 _1…_

 _GO!_

Off in the distance he could see it; one salmonid after another hopping out of the waters, all commencing their slow trudge towards the quartet, flanked by a Stinger nestled atop a stack of multicolored pots.

"There!"

Of the four, Khal was the first to dash into action, shooting up a path and swimming closer to the advancing salmonids, yet upon getting face-to-face with the horde he didn't directly shoot any of the fishes, content with merely dodging their swings and lunges, alternating between swimming around them as a squid or sidestepping them in his bipedal form. Those that got too close were merely pushed aside with a swing of his splash-o-matic shooter.

He moved around in a zigzag-like path when the murky green beam of the Stinger fired, up until he was right below it. A quick glance behind showed Khal that more salmons were closing in on him. He needed to act fast, or else he would've wasted these crucial first few seconds. So he circled the stack of pots and continuously knocked them away with his constant unloading of ink globs, bringing the Stinger down closer and closer to ground level, until finally getting to splat the fish itself.

Yet upon picking up one of the discarded golden eggs he turned around to see that he'd been surrounded during his assault. Chums and Cohocks alike looked down in him and blocked his path and left Khal with little options beyond the groping of the ocean behind him. Thankfully, such a disadvantageous situation didn't last long.

The two Cohocks suddenly vanished, wide puddles of pink ink remaining where they once stood, and the rest of the chums surrounding him similarly popped out of existence as a series of loud bangs could be heard. From the platform near the egg basket in which she was perched, the dark-skinned girl from earlier gave Khal a thumbs up, a splat charger held in her other hand.

"C'mon! I'll cover you!" Cerise yelled, and Khal gave a nod in response.

As he ran back to the egg basket and dropped his two eggs onto it, he couldn't help but give another look at the shore just to make sure it was still clear. The girl was busy splatting the salmonids that moved about on it, however something else caught Khal's attention. Some of the water was bubbling up, and ever so slightly increased in size and intensity with each passing second. His lips parted, and his purple eyes trained on the water.

"Huh? What.. is that..?"

* * *

Riding on the back of the Steelhead under the water was as slow as it was mind-numbing, and Jade could only shudder with anticipation for what she would find at her destination. At last, the Steelhead had risen out of the sea floor and stepped onto the shores of the Spawning Grounds, the salmonling and her smallfry friend hopping off the large boss salmonid soon afterwards.

It was not a pretty sight that Jade was greeted with. The field had been stained with splotches of pink all over, and dozens of scattered eggs of both the normal and golden type strewn about. No trace of any salmons either..

"Oh no.. the run's already started?" Jade lamented, kneeling near one of the golden eggs to pick it up. "They've shot down so many already.."

She's seen this before. She's caused it before. Nothing more than another batch of dumb fishes that swam to their deaths— the usual really.

She's never questioned it before, but.. are these jobs truly the right thing to do? Sure, they've helped her pay her bills and keep the salmons in check, but they're basically slaughter and thievery all at once. As far as she knew those were wrong, so...

"Urgh.. Maybe I'm just overthinking all this, but either way I'm not gonna let Grizzco win. Not this time." Jade affirmed with determination.

Upon training her gaze dead ahead, she could see ink flying and hear the yells of salmon and inkling alike, likely caught in a struggle on the other side of the island. One inkling sat near the basket and was taking shots at something below her, which meant that the other three had to be fighting below the walkways, on the flat platform.

"Squids winning.." Skipfin blubbered, his worry from earlier seemingly resurfaced.

"Not if I have anything to say about that. Stay close to me."

Jade changed into a fish and dove into her puddle of ink. She crept closer and closer to the sniper, making sure to swim at a slow pace so as to not cause any unneeded noise. Even after positioning herself right behind her and casting a large shadow over her body, the inkling girl didn't suspect a thing and continued with her charger duties.

If she so desired, Jade could have laughed in the girl's face for her cluelessness and incapacitate her all the same. Tempting as the notion was, not a single one of the workers could know of her presence.

So taking them out quickly and quietly felt like the best approach. In an instant, Jade sweeped a leg under the inkgirl's ankles and tripped her up, then grabbed her by the fabric if her shirt and swiftly threw her aside onto the sea. She could faintly hear her scream as she was splatted in the water, giving an uneasy glance at the remaining lifering on the sea below before turning to the warring cephalopods on the ground level.

" _Sorry about this.. but you four can't be here._ "

The salmonling hopped down and immediately hid inside another puddle of ink. She tried to do the same approach as with the charger on the two inklings holding their own against the myriad of chums, to varying degrees of success. The girl with the brush was so focused on keeping back a quartet of chums swinging at her that anything in her peripheral vision was lost, including a trail of green ink ever so slightly encircling her. Skipfin latched himself onto the fair skinned girl's face as a distraction, and in turn Jade briefly hopped out of the ink and gave the girl an ever so slight push with a crane of her snout, just enough to send her right into the clutches and jaws of the chums.

They swiftly finished Jade's work, wailing on the poor inkgirl until she was but another ink-filled lifering hopping about.

Less inklings running about meant less dividing and more conquering for the salmonids. The rest of the salmons mobbed around the remaining inklings, eagerly launching themselves and their weapons against the bipedal thieves.

Jade hung in the back, however, and used the salmonid mob as a cover to take a moment to relax in her bipedal state. "Alright, good job!" She cheered as Skipfin leapt into her arms. The smallfry nuzzled with Jade in response, and the pair looked to see the two salmon runners somehow punch a hole through the mob and swim up the ramp with far too many golden eggs in hand than Jade was comfortable with.

"Stay here and help the others rescue all the eggs. I'll be back soon," Jade quickly instructed the smallfry upon setting him down, and with not another second to waste she dove into the ink and chased after the two. The closer she got, the clearer Jade could hear the two inklings' bickering.

"Stupid bassholes! How did they corner us like that?!" Luka yelled upon reaching the central area, a fistful of golden eggs held close to his chest.

"I-I dunno!" Khal swam right behind him, a pair golden eggs strapped to his net. "The others vanished so quickly, I didn't notice!"

"We always notice when someone gets splatted, there's a beacon for that! The girls should've signalled us by now-!"

Jade almost felt bad for tripping up Luka, but his voice was starting to grate on her. Downed and on his knees, Luka jerked his head around the sides, yet found nothing but a trail of green ink rapidly encircling him. His shooting did nothing to stop or even slow down the salmonling creating it, and before he could even get up Luka was struck from behind and burst into a puddle of green.

All too easy.

"Why is it always me?!" Though hidden by the oversized cap on his head, terror framed Khal's face as he hurried away from the salmon's trail. Joining the few eggs discarded by Luka with his own, the boy scrambled to slot as many eggs as he could into the nearby container. For all he knew, nothing mattered aside from the eggs in that moment, Unfortunately for him, that single-minded act of confusion was exactly what Jade was looking for, as he was left wide open for Jade to sneak up behind him and lunge.

"Gotcha!" Jade pounced on the inkling and slammed him hard against the ground. With a grin, she raised a claw, yet as soon as she laid eyes on her prey the salmonling froze. All manner of satisfaction vanished from her face once she recognized her prey. Her _friend_.

The small, stiff and silently panicking form of Khal.

Instants stretched into moments, which stretched into seconds, which stretched into a minute, as purple and green eyes were locked in a silent meeting. Both wide and in disbelief. Both filled with fear.

'Shock' didn't even begin to describe what was now going through Jade's mind as she held down the inkling boy, her claws still tightly wrapped around his arms. Questions, doubts, fears all crashed and mixed abound, all sending mixed signals to Jade. This wasn't supposed to happen- He wasn't supposed to see her again in her current state, and especially not so soon after what happened before. The sight of his wide, frantic gaze and quivering mouth almost broke Jade's heart, and she'd rather look away anywhere else other than at Khal.

She could even feel his body tremble in her grip. Jade dared not to speak or mutter any sound, even faltering on her grip. But even the smallest of slip-ups were capable of being exploited, for Khal wasted no time in freeing his right arm, pulling out his splash-o-matic and unloading as much ink as he could onto Jade's face.

"SALMONLIIIIING!" Khal shrieked, pushing Jade off him with a kick to the face and breaking into a mad dash as far away from the humanoid beast as possible. With cries of pain, the salmonling writhed on the ground, clawing at her face in an attempt to wipe the searing ink off it. Jade was soon on all fours and began to crawl away from the basket into the nearest cover she could find, away from sight.

Jade did find a pillar wide enough to hide behind, and sluggishly propped herself up into a sitting position on it. Her eyes were closed, her breaths were ragged, and her face hurt. Everything hurt, actually, so much so that Jade didn't want to move.

"Oww.." Jade moaned, moving a hand to caress her face. For some reason it felt soft and also very short. Her hand felt.. looser, too. What Jade was greeted by upon opening her eyes,however, made her gasp. Her hand..

It wasn't gray anymore. The claws and webbing were.. gone as well?

Jade then crawled hesitantly to the shore on her right and leaned forward. She didn't see a salmon-like monster in the water, however.

A girl with yellow tentacles instead greeted Jade, holding the same disbelief in her eyes.

* * *

Khal wanted nothing more than to run. To where wasn't a concern to him— He simply let his feet carry him across the dirt and metal ground away from his coworkers, from the battle, and especially from the salmonling.

How did that thing get here?! Why was it here?!

So racked with confusion was Khal that he wasn't aware of the salmonids that suddenly sprung up in his path until he bumped into the school's leading cohock without looking. The inkboy looked up to see the fat salmon growl at him and raise his frying pan high in the air, and just as he swung the utensil down, Khal ducked below its reach with a yelp.

"I'm sorry!" He cried out, swimming away from the cohock and company back to the central area. The salmonling had vanished somehow, but Luka's lifering still lay where he was splatted.

At once, Khal moved to reanimate him with a couple shots from his weapon, filling the lifering with enough ink so that it could encase his tiny spirit and then reconstitute his body.

"Took you long enough!" Luka chided, springing to his feet and immediately setting his eyes on Khal.

"I-I know, but listen-!"

"We were sneak-attacked, I get that! Let's just reanimate the girls and get going again!"

"It's not only a sneak attack, the salmonling was here!" Khal warned with a pleading look in his face.

"...Are you jo-"

"DO I LOOK LIKE I'M JOKING?!"

"Okay, sheesh! Fine, we will go after it, but we need to take care of ourselves first. Now go help the others, I'll cover you."

Khal nodded at Luka's words, then swam off to the lower area again. As expected, there were a few salmonids moving about, most notably a Scrapper vehicle.

"Oh, come on.." A whine escaped his lips as he stared at the horde, his eyes filled with distraught. As soon as one of the fishes spotted him, Khal went on the move again, and proceeded to swim past and around all who tried to attack. He was yelping and crying out in fear all throughout, but nonetheless reached brush girl's lifering and reanimated her.

"A-are you ok?" Khal asked the girl, pulling her up to her feet with a hand.

"Yeah, thanks! Sorry I didn't do much.." The pink-tentacled girl looked down with embarrassement, shifting her feet.

"Don't worry, we haven't lost yet! L-let's just try to get back on our feet, ok?"

"Alright!" The girl nodded, soon turning around to hack away with her brush at the Scrapper that somehow came up behind her unnoticed. In turn, Khal continued on his way, swimming through the island as fast as he could and pushing away any salmon that came near. For some reason there were more salmonids out to get him than before; Actually, there were more salmonids out in the field than just some minutes before, and for every fish he took out another took its place.

And why was this one smallfry so intent on chasing him around?

Serving as a pseudo-salmon magnet brought no joys or favors to Khal. At least he managed to snag a golden egg from a blue-finned salmonid.

He spotted the third lifering on the shortest of the three piers, off on the side of the island to his left, and banked towards it. Out of nowhere, a Cohock dropped from above, blocking Khal's path. With a gurgly cry he swung his short bat at Khal, yet his small size and quick reflexes allowed him to dodge and retaliate with a couple of shots and a splat bomb. His aim was a little off upon throwing the pyramid-like item, as it merely flew over the Cohock's head and did little to distract the beast.

It merely knocked the inkboy aside with a swing of its bat. With a grunt, Khal looked up to see the Cohock loom over him, eyeing him hungrily and licking its lips. Yet just as it was about to strike down Khal, the cohock exploded into a shower of pink ink.

"Thanks for the assist, my guy!" Cerise yelled from the edge of the pier. Khal merely gave her a thumbs up and a wide grin in response. Now the shift could definitely turn around for them with everyone up and about again. In fact, that's exactly what happened.

Together, Khal and Cerise easily pushed aside or otherwise splatted all the salmonids in their path, with Cerise providing sufficient cover for him to reach the egg basket and slot his one egg into it, Cerise soon following suit. Luka and the other girl with the brush coincidentally swam up to them with golden eggs of their own and dropped their prizes onto the basket.

"Well, that's everyone," Luka confirmed, sharing a glance with Khal and the girls. "Can we all just agree that the near-wipeout we got earlier was nothing but a terrible dream? 'Cause personally speaking, that was pretty embarrassing."

"Meh, it was a small delay," Cerise shrugged.

"Phew.. Hopefully it won't happen again.." Khal added, fidgeting with his weapon.

"Nah, I'm sure it won't! Whaddya say we show these scalies who's boss?"

"Yeah!" Cerise and brush girl cheered in unison, pumping their fists high.

"Right.." Khal added in half-heartedly, his gaze wandering away from the group and to the island, as if looking for something. Not everyone was accounted for; a certain someone was still missing, even if they haven't attacked for some time now. Even if there was no trace of it —her— that his eyes could catch, Khal was sure the salmonling was still hiding somewhere. Waiting.

From his pocket, he pulled out a small gray ball with a grizzco insignia and stared at it for a few moments, before storing it again and settting his sights on the swarming hordes again. For now, Khal would remain vigilant while supporting the others, and whenever the salmonling decided to rear its ugly head again, he would be ready to defend himself and his coworkers.

* * *

What. Just. Happened?

Even after rubbing her eyes to make sure her brain wasn't playing tricks on her, Jade was at a loss on her current situation. Her current appearance.

She shuffled back to the pillar she rested on and looked down at herself. She was naked, sure, but otherwise she looked just like any other run of the mill inkling girl. No scales, no claws, no strange feet or tail— everything about herself looked how it was supposed to.

"B-but how? I—I was a salmonling a few seconds ago!" She exclaimed in disbelief.

It was then that Jade noticed something else. Her forehead felt dry and smooth when she rubbed a hand on it, and she saw no pink stains on her fingers upon looking down at her right hand. The ink on her face couldn't have simply vanished during her change, right?

"But our ink does vanish after a little while. Even when we're hurt, it's not for long, it either drips off our bodies or.."

Jade's eyes widened. The ink on her face didn't drip off, she still felt it even as her body throbbed and changed, seeping into her skin. Of course!

"The ink... I had to have changed back because of it! M-maybe once it stuck to me it triggered something in my body!" She exclaimed to herself. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a puddle of salmonid ink nearby and looked down in thought. If inkling ink changed her back, would the inverse apply if she dipped a hand in this puddle, then?

Just before she could test that out, her ears picked up the sounds of yells nearby, and from her hiding place she took a peek at the scuffle that currently embroiled the spawning grounds. Khal and his team looked to be holding their ground against the hordes surrounding them, and they seemed to be getting more and more golden eggs on their nets. Nothing unexpected.

Yet as she continued to look on, Jade involuntarily lifted one of her hands and reached out to Khal.

She brought her hand back down, however. Even if her entire being longed for his company, there was no use in reaching out to him now. Not when she still wasn't ready.

Besides, Skipfin still needed help in dealing with the inklings. What kind of friend would she be to leave him behind?

With her mind made up, Jade retreated into the pillar and dipped her hand into the puddle. It didn't take long for a familiar sensation to ram into Jade suddenly, bringing her to her knees. Hearts temporarily stopping before beating furiously, limbs trembling uncontrollably, and an excruciating level of pain everywhere all at once as she felt her body contort.

The pain subsided, and with bated breath Jade stood up and looked down at herself. A salmonling once more, just as she predicted.

"Woah.. This could come in handy," Jade gaped. Although, she could ponder this development later. She had some business to attend to.

She stepped out of the cover of the pillar and into full view. The runners were near the sandy shore, so occupied by the salmonids surrounding them that they couldn't notice Jade. And this time she wasn't even trying to hide..

Curiously, Jade could see a small object flying in the air and rapidly descending. Once she actually realized what the shape was, she quickly moved in to catch it before it could hit the ground. Nestled in her palms was the bruised form of Skipfin. He could barely lift a fin, and to open one of his eyes to gaze at Jade took a bit of struggle.

"Sorry for leaving.. Can you hold on for just a bit longer, buddy?"

The smallfry weakly nodded, and Jade set him down. Her attention turned to the inklings, eyes narrowing into a glare, and she stomped over to them. Her steps were loud enough To actually alert them, and the other nearby salmonids stopped to gawk at Jade as well, but by the time they turned around it was too late to act.

Jade loomed over the quartet, looking down at them with disapproval. Her height and shadow cast over the kids created quite the imposing image, leaving them frozen with fear. The taller male could barely emit a stammer before he was swiftly silenced by a clawed finger placed over his mouth.

"So curious to see people like you four around here, **trespassing** on my territory. Now, I want you to be good little squids and leave while you have the chance. It's okay, I won't hurt you if you do!"

Luka was the first to escape his fear-induced daze and quickly aimed his splattershot up, only to have Jade immediately grab his wrist and hold it in place. The salmonling shook her head in faux disappointment, "Wrong choice, squiddo."

The others tried to follow suit, but they were too slow to react. In one swing of her claws, Jade struck down the inklings where they stood, once again confining them to their liferings.

"You three should've known better than to… wait, three?"

She could hear footsteps close by, and as if on cue, a dozen or so salmonids began to yell and cry foul, and with a glance behind her Jade spotted Khal's rapidly departing form. She dived into her ink and swam after him.

Nearly every remaining salmonid on the island, both big and small, set their sights on Khal and proceeded to chase him down. With their wide spread on all fronts, the dastardly fishes cut off any and all routes of escape, finally cornering the lone inkling at the edge of one the grated catwalks behind the egg basket.

There wasn't much Khal could do either, unless he wanted to skip to the moment of his being splatted by the fishes, or give up and jump to the sea. It's not as if he could slip under the grates, either, there were Maws below ready to chomp on him as soon as he touched the ground. At least he didn't have to wait long before getting smacked dab in the face by a frying pan and sent careening off the platform. A small steel ball fell off his pocket as well, and was picked off the dirt by a trio of smallfries.

Yet just before he could hit the ground, Jade jumped in and caught him midair. They crashed and rolled along the ground less than gracefully upon hitting it, but at least they managed to land away from the rest of the hordes. At once, the salmonling slid out from below Khal's weight and effortlessly pinned the squirming inkling against the dirt. Once again, their eyes were locked, though Jade's were much firmer.

"Listen to me; Drop your weapon and the egg, and I can let you go safely. Just touch a red button on your lifering and you'll superjump back to the boat without having to get splatted."

"W-why should I trust you?!" Khal stutter-yelled in an attempt to sound fearless, "You splatted the others just fine, so why not finish me off instead?!"

"Because you are not like them." Her voice was much softer than before, and her grip on his wrists loosened considerably. "I can tell you don't enjoy being here, and you almost never try to attack anyone. You're.. scared, aren't you?"

Mouth agape and eyes quivering, Khal merely stared back at the salmonling before glancing away almost shamefully. Jade merely sighed as a response, and soon let go of his wrists and pulled him up with one hand, then pressed a button on his lifering with the other. With that, he was launched away and streaked along the orange sky and back into the distant Grizzco boat, with the other three liferings following suit.

And that was a wrap. All the salmons in the spawning grounds erupted into cheers, and some even started to break open the egg basket. Jade merely stared wordlessly at the departing boat.

Her brows furrowed. Hopefully the workers didn't feel too sore about their loss...

* * *

The minute the crew returned to Grizzco, Khal threw his working clothes off and made a break for the exit without looking back. How did it all go so wrong? And just what was up with that salmonling?

Salmonids can't actually speak, right? Right?! And her voice.. Why did it sound so familiar..?

So much dwelling meant Khal wasn't looking where he was going, and as a result ended up bumping his head against something. He looked up to see Salem bearing down on him with his usual frown.

"O-oh, hi Salem! H-how's it been?"

"It's been alright.." He looked away for a moment before focusing his sights on Khal again, "Are you healed up? Everything ok?"

Khal nodded yes a little too fast for comfort, though. "Juuuust peachy! No siree, noproblemsinhereafterallespeciallynotthehumanoidmonsteronthespawningrounds—"

"Hold on, did you say 'monster on the spawning grounds'?"

"Wh-no, of course not! That's ridiculous, haha!"

"Are you.. sweating?"

"Nope! Oh, I gotta go now, s-see ya later!"

Khal ran off without so much as one last glance, his shoes kicking up dust with every step, and leaving behind a very puzzled Salem.

The yells from Grizzco that followed suit didn't help matters either. Salem found a trio of inklings on their knees and looking as if they've just heard a shocking revelation.

Salem had no reason not to approach them, especially the fair-skinned boy blubbering incoherently.

"Hey, snap out of it! What's wrong?"

"I-it's still out there..."

"Look, I know your last shift must've been pretty bad, but I'm sure it's nothing too—"

"THE SALMONLING IS COMING!" Luka finally screamed, snapping towards Salem with a wide, horrified stare. He had already leapt to his feet and dashed in a screaming frenzy before Salem even had a chance to respond. The blue haired inkling looked to the other two similarly distraught girls, then to the gates of Grizzco.

His gaze steeled.

* * *

The first thing Jade did upon returning to the mainland, meanwhile, was find the nearest hot spring and sink right into it. Indeed, The salmonids actually had a few lying around, to her initial surprise. Nothing else would've been befitting of celebrating a victory.

She sucked in a breath and let out a long, relaxed exhale as she felt the water massage and caress her body.

"Man, these are the best," Jade drawled. Other salmons shared similar sentiments, they too relaxing in the spring. Jade moved an eye open to oversee Skipfin playing in the water and nodded approvingly before closing it.

"We did good today, Skipfin.. and I'm sure tomorrow will be even better."

The smallfry nodded with a chirp and nuzzled alongside the salmonling.

Elsewhere on the island, a trio of smallfries were happily playing catch with one another using a gray metal ball, a smidge too big for them to hold with a single fin. One of the fishes couldn't catch it in time when it was thrown, and as a result it bonked him in the snout. The other two laughed before running off, however the first one stopped to look at the ball more closely.

What a strange little logo it had, it even had a small fish in it, just like the smallfry! And curiously it had a small spot that was flashing and beeping a red color..

The smallfry tilted its head in confusion with a pause..

Then turned around and swam after its kin. It was probably nothing. Balls are harmless, after all.


	12. Raging Tides

When night came, silence usually followed. That case was true even for as rowdy a species as the salmonids, seeing as how at the moment, they were all tuckered in and sleeping soundly inside their huts. Even hyperactive bundles of chaos needed their rest.

However, not all was still in the Salmonid Mainland. Very faintly and very softly, a red light blinked and beeped in the sand, droning on constantly. To a normal person who got a look at it, the ball that made said beeping appeared to be nothing more than a neat little object, if a little useless.

Though greatly obscured by the darkness around it, something large and heavy could be seen touching down on the shores of the Mainland by any who were awake. The loud, low sound of a horn blared out from the structure, the soundwaves and gusts of wind it created causing the very sand and rocks to shudder.

So loud was the horn that it reached into the ears of the sleeping salmons, disturbing their sleep, especially that of one certain salmonling.

Jade stirred, unconsciously frowning as the brunt of the horn's call passed through her. Another burst of sound was enough for the girl to rouse from slumber, and she weakly rubbed her tired eyes and yawned softly. Her first instinct was to look around, however she was unable to find anything remotely suspicious inside the hut. Her brows furrowed; where was that noise coming from?

Her curiosity grew once she saw a bright light pierce through the darkness from the window inside the hut. As quietly as she could, Jade stepped out of the hut and into the open night air, then proceeded to wander around the town, closer and closer to the rotating beam of light.

"Wait a minute.. What the heck is that?" Jade mused aloud, peering with squinted eyes through the dark of night. Even if she couldn't see all that well, Jade could still make out a very large shape off in the shore. Was that thing there before? It looked like a strangely smooth mountain of sorts, and how the light shone from the tip of it and spun around was also bizarre. It seemed to be rocking in the water, though..

Pretty similarly to a ship, even.

Whenever the light passed over her, she could see more clearly what exactly this ship was. It looked bigger and taller than any mountain spire in the Mainland, loaded with a stack of metal boxes and smeared with colors of gray and neon green stripes on the sides of its hull along with a searchlight placed at the very top, responsible for creating the bright glow.

This immediately set up many a red flag in Jade's mind. She was pretty sure the salmonids never had or even allowed ships like these on their island, or any ship for that matter. Not to mention the mainland wasn't on any map in Inkopolis. So if it hailed from inkopolis, then...

Jade gasped.

She took a few cautious steps back, getting farther and farther from the ship as stealthily as she could. However, her attempt proved unsuccessful for she was suddenly caught in the blinding light and forced to cover her eyes. Despite how hard it was to look, squinting allowed her to make out an all too recognizable logo plastered on the hull alongside the colored stripes: Grizzco Industries.

Jade's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.

Alas, she could not run away in time before a blast of orange sent her off her feet, flying and crashing against the sand.

So the rest of the orb-shaped cannons set their sights on the rest of the salmonid structures, and soon a hail of liquid fire bombarded the town.

Nothing was safe from the onslaught of torpedoes. Every hut, every shop, every walkway, every structure in sight was stained and blown to bits in an instant by the impact of the ink torpedoes, some even catching fire in the process. If they weren't splatted by the blasts, the salmonids inside were sent scattering everywhere like squirming confetti in the air. Panic and confusion overtook the fishes as they scrambled to get back on their own tails, swimming in all directions just to not be hit by any of the bubbling orange ink.

Jade was still downed on the shore, however. The impact left her disoriented, as it took half a minute or so to regain her bearings, and another half for her to get up on all fours. Her gasps for air were frantic, and looking up to the sight of both the damaged town and a gathering of Grizzco workers not too far from her made her ink run cold. She couldn't move in the slightest.

The grizzco workers looked to be disembarking from the ship one at a time, using ropes to slide down onto sandy ground. Before long a party of 30 had gathered, all carrying their own specialized Grizzco weapons, adorned in silver and yellow.

The time for Jade to contemplate her next course of action came pitifully short, for she was soon spotted by the goons in spite of the dark sky. Somehow.

With cries of "There it is!" and "Target acquired!", Jade took that as a cue to scramble to her feet and run as fast as she could.

One still remained in the shore,however. Clad in a white shirt, black overalls and orange gloves and boots, the inkling woman observed the departing mutant from where she stood, her emerald eyes narrowed into a leer.

"Don't you worry. You won't have to run for much longer.."

* * *

If the streaks of orange ink that whizzed past Jade weren't indication enough of how big and gaping of a rut the girl was in, then the sight of the village in flames definitely screamed of trouble. Trouble that had somehow latched on to her, slithered through the sea inconspicuously alongside her, laid low right under her nose, then burst in a grand manner in front of her very eyes, right into what she was experiencing now.

But how?! She was sure there was nothing Khal or the other squid kids had that could've possibly tracked and followed her right into the Salmonids' home, and even if they told Mr. Grizz, he had no way of learning of the Mainland. No one in Inkopolis even knew of this place, so how did Grizzco figure out they would find her all the way here?!

She made a right turn and leapt behind the nearest boulder she could find, and the lack of fire nearby aided her in staying hidden from the passing inklings. It brought her no relief, however, for soon her body began to tremble as she moved her arms to grab her head.

This was retribution, wasn't it? The consequence of messing with Grizzco and choosing to aid her fellow salmons, of revealing herself to them and asking for trouble. What was Jade expecting? She _deliberately_ went out into the open in her monstrous despite warnings from her ten-limbed companions; She should've expected to suffer for it. Stupid!

Jade blubbered a shaky whine. Not only was the event of her capture looking very possible right about now, seeing as how she had a whole platoon of workers on the lookout for her, but so was the endangerment of all salmonids in the island. They wouldn't stand a chance, she had to help them stop Grizzco, but what could she even _do_ in her situation?

" _No,no,no,no, what do I do?!_ " Her breathing was getting more and more shallow, and she could feel her trembling increase in intensity. The screams that still echoed didn't help her state either. Jade shut her eyes tightly, and began to breathe. Slow and deep, over and over, keeping herself together.

Only after the upteenth or so exhale did Jade manage to rein in her doubts. She peered over the boulder again and glowered; Apparently setting the village on fire wasn't enough for Grizzco, for their grunts looked to be moving in towards the scrambling salmons and firing on them with the same customized blasters, chargers and brellas she's seen a few times before while under their employ.

Now that she had a better look at the village.. since when did puddles of ink ever combust into flames on their own? Furthermore, Since when were grizzco torpedoes powerful enough to release ink that spontaneously lit ablaze? Only an Explosher could ever shoot ink that felt even a little hot, but certainly not this..

"Odd.. I'll have to douse them somehow. But first.."

With another glance to ensure that no one was actively looking for her, Jade leapt out of her hiding spot and swam off to the village.

Jade's first course of action was to basically thin the mooks' numbers. The first worker she found, she immediately incapacitated them with a slash at their back, and with the second she pried the brella from their gloved hands before delivering a hard kick in the gut. After casting the brella into a small flame nearby, The salmonling proceeded.

"Skipfin! Skipfin, where are you?!" Jade called out, ignoring the sounds of gunshots and yelling all around her. For as much as she cried his name, no smallfry came to her side. She only ever received screams of pain.

Everywhere Jade looked, it was the same; debris, flames and ink of orange and green all around, with salmonids either fleeing or fighting back against the relentless inklings, yet both cases led to the same results. Capture or splatting.

Jade tried all she could to counteract Grizzco's siege: drawing fire away from the salmonids and towards her, disarming the mooks before they had a chance to attack further, or using whatever ounce of water she could find to douse the flames, anything and everything to hold them off while staying alive in the process. But for every worker she struck down, another seemed to take their place. She couldn't see an end to them.

She felt a harsh impact on her back that brought her down on all fours, and quickly glanced at her scaly back to find a large stain on it. The reason why soon appeared: a Grizzco grunt not far from where she lay, with Brella in hand. For every burst of pellets he fired, Jade jumped away further and further, retreating as far as she could until her back hit something. The grunt had managed to corner her, much to Jade's dismay.

Worse still, four other workers had joined in, all aiming down their weapons at her snout, and wherever the salmonling looked she couldn't find any means to slip away.

Though she closed her eyes and braced herself, no attack ever hit her. She heard some clattering and bashing around as well, along with… was that screaming?

She opened an eye hesitantly, and what she saw made her grin all throughout.

"Yeah! Kick their butts!," She cheered, watching with delight as a Steelhead effortlessly bashed around her attackers like they were cardboard. Boy, was it nice to be on his side for a change!

Other salmons rallied alongside the behemoth as he threw one of his bag bombs, it's subsequent blast splatting quite a few inklings to surprising effect. Some salmons even took the opportunity to finish off the injured ones.

"Jaaaaaiiiiid!"

Jade suddenly felt a weight on her back, and upon looking over her shoulder she smiled brightly. "Skipfin! You're okay!" She joyfully said,scooping up the smallfry and giving him a good nuzzle.

But there was little time for celebration. The wail of the ship's horn boomed once more, and streaks of orange arched through the sky soon after. In a snap, Jade dived to the nearest cover as the torpedoes rained down once more, pressing herself against the pile of wood and holding Skipfin close to her chest.

The deluge stopped as soon as it began, however, leaving an unnatural silence in it's wake. Puzzled, Jade peeked out of her cover, but found nothing beyond a few injured salmonids lying on the ground and a lot of orange ink spread about. Yet not a single worker could be seen..

Their salty smell still permeated the village, however. No doubt they were hiding nearby. As Jade stepped out of cover and carefully moved closer to the orange ink, the odor only got stronger. It almost made her cover her nose with how strong it was.

When Jade was mere inches away, the first of the workers sprung from the ink, slamming her dynamo roller onto the salmonling with surprising speed. Whether it was luck or fast reflexes, the salmonling only barely managed to hop away in time before the weapon struck the ground.

Jade regained her footing quickly, and was left face to face with the inkling woman in black, along with the rest of the hidden salmon runners that soon emerged behind her.

"Took me a while to find you, salmonling. Your prowling ends here," Nephrys declared.

Jade dared not to move or speak, only glaring at the female in response. Skipfin growled at the inklings as well, his small body quaking. Just as he lunged at them, he was caught in midair by Jade's hands, and she held the smallfry close to her chest, despite his imminent protests.

"Though.. perhaps you may not be of the fighting kind.." Nephrys muttered, one of her brows raised curiously at the display. The workers beside her began their approach, but stopped in place when the woman in black and orange held an arm out in front of them.

Jade took a step back, but still refused to make any sudden moves. Again she merely glared at the woman.

"If you can understand me, We can resolve this quietly or by force. Your choice," The woman continued without much pause.

Confusion and fear clouded the salmonling's mind in spite of her outward facade of bravery. The woman spoke in a harsh, commanding tone; clearly that of a hunter concerned only with her mission. Yet her words sent conflicting signals, and her actions moreso. Why wasn't she attacking? Jade was just a monster in her eyes, so why talk to her at all in spite of that? Unless..

No. There was no way she could have _known_ , could she?

She couldn't. This woman won't stop her now!

Jade lunged with her claws out at Nephrys, aiming for her cheek. She only caught thin air, however, as Nephrys quickly sidestepped out of the way and retaliated with a flick of her roller, smacking Jade in the face.

The salmonling reeled from the blow, and had a pained expression on her face as she stared at Nephrys with disbelief.

"A poor choice," Nephrys noted dryly before swinging her roller once more, sending a swathe of ink at Jade. The girl rolled away before any drop of it could touch her, and soon she was locked in a full blown battle with the older inkling.

This might've been the first time a salmon runner gave Jade any real trouble. She could barely connect any of her slashes, Nephrys dodging them all with relative ease, and the wide and fast swings of Nephry's dynamo roller were difficult to avoid. Whether it was a tiny drop or a large glob, more and more enemy ink coated Jade after every swing, which weakened her further. She had to dive into her own ink and retreat a little to heal every so often before returning to a losing game of parrying and slashing with her grizzco opponent.

Nephrys raised her roller high to strike once more and swung it down, only for it to be caught mid-swing by Jade. Locked in a struggle, each tried to pry the weapon off the other's hands to no avail. Neither of them even budged, their hardened gazes focused only on each other, and their joint grip on the roller was so strong their hands were practically glued to it. Any sudden moves and the weapon could easily break.

"Pathetic.. **this** is the salmonid that's got everyone in a pickle? You can't even lay a scratch on me," Nephrys taunted.

"Shut up, grandma! You're hardly better at splatting me!" Jade snapped back, scowling at the inkling.

"Bark as loud as you want, little fish. It won't do you any good against Grizzco."

"Oh yeah? I'm just getting started!"

She swiped a claw at Nephrys, only for her to dodge with only a tilt of her head. Jade's hold on the roller slipped as a result, allowing Nephrys to pry it off her remaining hand and strike Jade with a horizontal swing. The salmonling was sent crashing against the ground, and she clutched her chest in pain with a groan. She was left dazed, and her limbs felt too weak for her to stand up again.

"You seem a little tired, salmonling," Nephrys remarked snidely, walking closer and closer to the downed Jade, "Perhaps you need to get some **sleep**..."

A haggard feeling slithered up Jade's stomach and to her neck all of a sudden. Rancid particles of bile and blood flowing through her throat, sticking and growing together in small yet ever larger quantities and slowly clogging whatever space there was inside. Her breathing slowed and got so ragged and raspy it began to hurt. She couldn't utter any retort before breaking into a coughing fit.

The woman halted in her steps, puzzlement crossing her mind for a brief moment at the sight of the fell mutant. Even after bashing her so many times, the girl was still conscious, still resilient, still squirming with life. That last attack should've knocked her out by now, and she was practically drenched in ink, yet still she dared to cling to life?

Nephrys shook her head. Such ludicrous stubbornness.

As Nephrys continued her approach, Jade suddenly gripped her neck. She felt like she was about to choke with how much her throat was closing up, and she didn't know how to stop it either.

Without thinking she got up on all fours and looked at Nephrys, and all the pressure in her neck vanished as a slimy ball of pure ink suddenly launched out of her mouth and slammed against Nephrys with enough force so as to outright splat her. An orange puddle, along with the woman's lifering and roller now lay where she once stood.

Gasping for air, Jade looked on at her handiwork with both shock and fear.

"Wha..? W-when could I…"

A shivering sensation in her arms brought her out of said shock, and only then was she made aware of just how much ink she was covered in. With a yelp, she scrambled to the nearest puddle of salmonid ink she could find and dove in before coming back out after a minute, healing herself. That was a close one..

While limping away to a safe spot with Skipfin in her arms once more, Jade took another look around the area. She could barely recognize the village anymore; now nothing more than a canvas of torn, burning wood, of ashes and rubble, of dust and ink amidst a black sky that ensnared squid and salmon alike as they faced off.

Green with orange, fin with tentacle, maw with beak and scale with sucker, the fishes and cephalopods alike threw everything they had at each other. The forces of Grizzco mowed down schools upon schools of salmonids effortlessly with their repertoire of weapons, and in turn the scaly legions besieged the workers with sheer numbers and brute force. The presence of boss salmonids certainly helped turn the tide in the salmonids' favor, with things like the Drizzlers' miniature inkstorms and the Flyfishes' constant hail of missiles causing many a worker to scatter lest they wanted to get picked off where they stood.

Tears threatened to spill from Jade's eyes, even as she tried her hardest to hold them back. How could she not cry? She allowed Grizzco to find her, left just enough of a trail for them to follow, and caught her in her hiding place. And now it was burning, along with the ones who took her in.

And her only thought was to ditch it all.

She cared not that her legs quivered more and more with every step, or for Skipfin's cries to turn around, or for the noises of chaos that still raged behind her. Only to run.

Jade's constant glancing back and uneven footing caused her to trip up and for Skipfin to fall out of her grasp again. Still, she picked herself up and continued—

"Go back!"

Jade's head craned to Skipfin, her puffy eyes meeting his own look of pleading. Her mouth quivered, but no words came out.

"Jade have to go back! Jade have to beat them!"

"I **can't**! Jade shouted back.

"Jade said we teach squids lesson!"

"Don't you get it?! They're too powerful, they're gonna kill us!"

"SALMONS CAN BE STRONG, TOO!"

The words struck Jade speechless, as if something had snapped her out of a daze.

"... What..?"

Skipfin crawled closer to Jade. "Squids.. may be too strong for Jade.. but not for salmons."

Jade merely looked at him helplessly, "B-but—"

"Salmons get in rough spots all time. May be every day.. But by helping each other and not being scared, salmons can beat anyone! Even thieves like the squids.

"Skipfin, you.."

"J-jade said so.. and if we could beat them before, then.."

"..We can beat them again!"

Jade's face was filled with renewed determination. The smallfry hopped onto Jade's shoulder and gave her a nod of encouragement, which Jade happily returned.

"Let's finish this!"

And so the duo rushed into the burning village once more.

A distant wail alerted the salmonling to an incoming wave of torpedoes about to slam onto the ground, and after a quick upward glance at them she dodged from side to side, effortlessly navigating through the torrent of ink. On her right, she spotted a trio of salmonids tussling with a Grizzco goon and quickly leapt to their aid. A slash to his ink tank from Jade and a bite into his cheek from Skipfin and the goon was quickly out of commission.

The pair yelped when a torpedo landed right next to them, and many more were still coming down on the field and taking out salmonids left and right. Jade set her sights on the ship; she had to disable those cannons somehow.. and her tools were limited. Looking ahead she saw other small duels among the warring fishes; the Steelhead from earlier fighting a pair of goons with a blaster and a slosher, and next to them was a downed machine with large square pods on its sides.

She glanced at Skipfin and then at the scene before her, and instantly an idea popped into her mind. "Skipfin, have you ever tried to be a flyfish?" She asked hurriedly.

"Once. Though Skipfin didn't get past the first trial.. Wait—!"

He was cut off by Jade's sudden grabbing of his body, and with a cry of "One more of them won't hurt!" he was thrown far into the air. With a skid, he landed near the vehicle and scrambled to enter inside. Soon after, Jade dashed forward, avoiding the torpedoes that landed near her again and ambushing the two goons with a sweep kick from behind. She knocked them unconscious immediately after by spitting another inkball at them.

"Thought you could use the help!" She exclaimed at the bigger fish. The steelhead shook its head in turn, and trained it's gaze onto the ship. Jade followed its gaze then smirked. It was nice to know when another mind shared similar sentiments.

The steelhead blew into its mouth apparatus, the bag on its head inflating to a large enough size before being launched off. In turn, Jade jumped high into the air after the bomb, and with as much force as she could muster she kicked the green bag. The bomb was sent sailing through the air, until it collided with the ship and exploded. Not only did the blast leave a large stain, but it also brought the desired result: its ink cannons now lay damaged and inactive.

Jade's smirk widened a bit, and upon seeing Skipfin rise from the ground in his machine, it widened further. She cheered the smallfry on as he unloaded his own kind of torpedoes onto the island, causing the mooks to scatter.

With the cannons downed and the Grizzco workers dispersing, it seemed as if things were finally turning around in the salmons' favor. Indeed, Jade's manuever and Skipfin's piloting had helped the other salmons greatly in pushing the invaders back. The girl would've given herself and Skipfin a pat on the back for it, too.

But then Jade heard some clattering behind her, and turned her head toward the noise curiously. It was a splat bomb.

While the blast didn't hurt her, it did knock her off her feet. The steelhead beside her was suddenly splatted, a trail of orange ink on the ground the only evidence of any attack, and Skipfin's machine was similarly knocked out of the sky as he prepared to fire. She noticed the ink trails led to a cloud of smoke, and from within it, a figure stepped out: Nephrys.

Jade grimaced. " _I guess someone found her lifering and revived her. Aww man…_ "

"Impressive maneuver," Nephrys praised with a slight smile, "You really aren't as mindless as I was led to believe."

"Why are you doing this?!" Jade shouted, disregarding the inkling's empty praise.

"Should be obvious, is it not? We've allowed you and the salmonids to do as they please for too long now."

"But it's only me you want! You wouldn't have come to the island otherwise, the salmonids haven't done anything to you!"

"Oh, you have no idea what they're capable of.." Nephrys said with a shake of her head.

"Grr, Leave my friends alone!" Jade lunged at Nephrys and swung her claws in a desperate attempt at attack. The woman effortlessly dodged them, however, and flung some ink at the salmonling in retaliation. Jade reeled from the attack, but it was not enough to bring her down. She reared up and threw a punch at Nephrys. She caught her fist mid-swing, however, and kicked Jade in the gut. Jade was on her knees once more, with Nephrys poised to strike her down once and for all.

"Give up, it's over."

"No.." A hoarse whisper came from Jade's mouth.

"What was that?"

" **NO**!"

Jade grabbed onto the roller just as Nephrys swung down. They were locked in a struggle once again, each using every ounce of strength they could muster to push against their opponent. Nephrys stood her ground at first, unflinching like a statue. But slowly and surely, Jade began to push back. Little by little, inch by inch, she was lifting the roller higher and further. She was overpowering Nephrys, even, as her grip on the roller trembled while Jade's had never been more firm.

Until a swift and sudden twist of the roller caused Jade to stumble and lose her grip.

Nephrys regained her hold on the weapon and after smacking Jade with the butt of the roller, it was all over.

One powerful strike of the weapon, and Jade was knocked down.

Battered and weakened, the salmonling lay motionless on the sand floor. She tried to look around, to regain her bearings and stand up again; her vision showed only blurs and colors though, and her senses were all disoriented. The muffled screams and shouts of the salmonids barely registered in her ears…

Her thoughts were fading. It wasn't long before she was out like a light.

* * *

When she came to, Jade was met not by the smell of ashes or the sight of fire. She felt cold, cramped and stuffy, not to mention she couldn't see anything at first. Her vision cleared soon enough, and it almost made her cry out.

Not only did Jade have salmonids stuffed on top of her, below her and on her left, not only did she have metal bars pressing tightly against her right side, and not only was she just trapped in a cage. No, she was in a room full of cages; all large and rectangular, all stuffed full of salmonids of all shapes and sizes.

Her sight was limited, and her capacity to move moreso. She struggled to turn her body over and get a better look, and the pile of fishes shifted slightly as a result. The two guards were also alerted, unfortunately, and one of them banged their weapon against the cage in response.

"Don't move!" The guard yelled angrily. Jade didn't want to talk back in the slightest. As she lay in her cell, however, she began to feel as if something was missing.

" _Wait.. where's Skipfin?!_ "

She glanced around again as the thought came up suddenly. Yet among all the identical fishes she found no signs of her friend. Panic welled up in the girl. She wanted to escape, and she was going to do it now.

With her one free hand, Jade gripped the bars of her cage and metal between her fingers started to bend, and slowly she began to push the bar in her hand outward. It took a bit of time, but soon Jade had made a gap wide enough for her to easily slide out of her cage.

The two guards took immediate notice of her action, however, and they set their weapons on her. "Hey, get back to your cage!" The other guard bellowed.

"Oh honey.." Jade sighed. "What do you think is gonna happen?"

The guard couldn't get any reply in before getting splatted where he stood by Jade's slime spit. The other shot at Jade in vain, and she merely dashed up to him and knocked him unconscious with one backhand.

Okay.. those two were taken care of. But now she had an entire ship to navigate through, if the light swaying and rumbling of the floor along with muffled sounds of waves were any indication of where she might be. That, along with a bunch of captive salmonids surrounding her. The fishes all groaned and called to her as she hurriedly passed them by, but Jade was not interested in their pleas. She was entirely capable of simply breaking every one of them out, but in her current situation Jade couldn't care less. Her friend was her only concern.

And so Jade rummaged through as many of the cages as fast as she could, squeezing any smallfry she laid her eyes on while calling for Skipfin's name. She stopped once one of them gave a very particular yelp, and when Jade pulled them out of the cage they squealed in delight and hopped onto Jade's shoulder.

"There you are!" Jade said with relief, holding the smallfry close as it rubbed affectionately against her cheek. "A-are you ok?"

Despite displaying a black eye in full view, Skipfin nodded. Jade decided to think about any injuries later. Now it was just her, the ship, and freedom.

The salmonling bolted out the door and commenced a frantic dash across the hall. She skid to a halt once two more Grizzco goons spotted her, and quickly turned back the way she came from, already hearing then follow behind. The girl rounded another corner, and again she was forced to move somewhere else once another pair of eyes latched onto her.

Taking fast, short steps with her paws, Jade glided across corridor after corridor, room after room, away from those who wished her in a cage. For as much as she moved about, however, Jade lacked any and all sense of direction. Every room she came across looked the same as the last, she was effectively stuck in a sea-faring maze.

She felt ink pierce through one of her legs, and she tripped up and dropped Skipfin. The yells and shouts of the goons hollered behind her, warning her, and with shaky hands Jade picked herself up. Someone grabbed her wrist and in turn she threw the attacker off. No more than a few steps and again she was struck and then on her knees, a mix of green and orange ink dripping off her afflicted leg.

Jade cried out in pain. She could barely lift her legs, much less stand up again after that shot, leaving her nearly defenseless. Still, she crawled onward even as a small squad of five came upon her. The thrashing and jerking of her body from side to side brought great difficulty to the goons, struggling to even keep the salmonling in place for anything longer than a second. Still, for any inkling Jade shook off, another joined in and latched onto one of her limbs to keep her from escaping.

"Get— **off** me!"

The smallfry picked itself up all the while, and upon noticing this, he lunged at one of the goons and bit hard on her hand. Naturally, she howled in pain and clutched her hand, unwittingly allowing Jade to break free from her hold and throw the rest of the goons off her. The salmonling picked the smallfry up, and despite her injuries Jade did her best to continue running.

One of the workers among the downed pile struggled to pick themselves up, and with a shaky hand they grasped their earpiece and grunted, "All units, we've had a breach! The target has escaped. I repeat— The target has escaped!"

Jade was running out of exits, however. Everywhere she turned was another goon alerted to her presence, every door she opened led to just another dead end, and every minute she felt herself growing weaker and more fatigued. She knew she couldn't last long before, but now it was certain that if she didn't turn things around, there would be no escape.

Skipfin's yells of more workers on her tail spurred feelings of panic in Jade as she turned yet another corner. Only two roads lay ahead of her on each side, both already occupied by a salmon runner at the end of each, their weapons at the ready. The group from behind wasn't slowing down either. She frantically looked around, and to her relief she found something of use: a ventilation shaft hanging from the roof. Crude, but it was something at least.

Jade jumped into the tunnel, shifting into her fish form to slip through the cover. She swam through the vents with ease. The workers all gathered below the ventilation, meanwhile, all staring at the tunnel intently.

"I dunno about any of you," a male goon spoke up, pulling out an orange, cylindrical fizzy bomb, "But I think some cleanup is in order."

So he threw the vibrating bomb onto the shaft. It clattered against the metal panels, and soon sprung to life in a series of inky bursts as it bounced along the shaft. It took little time for Jade and Skipfin to stop and wonder what was making the banging noises, and even less for them to see the rapidly approaching bursts of ink get closer to them.

With yelps of fright, the two salmons swam even faster through the vents, the bomb bumping about behind them. They soon found an exit below them, and rapidly leaped out of the vent. The fizzy bomb slid out soon after and quickly exploded in a shower of orange.

"There has to.. be an exit somewhere.." Jade said tiredly in between breaths. "I.. can't go on.."

Skipfin's whimpers didn't reassure Jade in the least. After a few sluggish steps, she collapsed on her knees. A small voice in her head whispered, begged to lie down and take a breather. Going on would bring only more pain, no? So why not just..

Her thought process stopped once familiar scents filled her nose, coming from all around her; more workers coming. And Nephrys was among them.

With a heave, Jade stood up once more on shaky legs. One sluggish step at a time, she advanced toward a door both very near and far away. She threw the door open, and her eyes went wide: it looked like.. the deck! She found the deck of the ship!

FREEDOM!

All of a sudden some of Jade's fatigue vanished as she stepped outside. To think that she'd finally found an exit..

"There it is! Don't let it jump off!"

A shot rang out, and in a moment she was on her knees again with a pained yell. No! She's gotten so far.. she couldn't fail now! Even with knowing a squadron of Grizzco goons striding out of the door and approaching her weakened form, Jade wasn't about to lie down and give up.

But she could barely move, much less get up again. So she resorted to crawling instead. She could feel the inklings hover over her, their cold gloved hands grasping her arms tightly and restraining her. She tried to wrestle with them, of course, but for how much she thrashed and squirmed, kicked and screamed for escape, she just couldn't break free. Skipfin could do little but crawl away and watch helplessly.

One of her apprehenders pushed her down onto the floor with such force that it broke her nose. Something in Jade snapped, as if a spark suddenly ignited within her. With a roar, she spun around and slashed at her attackers all at once in a wide arc. Left with deep gashes across their faces or otherwise, they all dropped to the floor in pain.

The salmonling stood up once more and glared at Nephrys, her pupils having turned a crimson color and her mouth curled into a menacing scowl. Her fatigue had all but vanished, somehow.

"But how..?"

For the briefest of moments, Nephrys stood gaping at the beast. However, her astonishment passed as quickly as it came, and with weapon in hand she took aim once more. Just as Jade snarled and prepared to strike, someone behind her fired an explosher. The blast's impact was so strong it knocked Jade and Skipfin off the side of the deck and sent them plummeting to the sea below.

"No!" Nephrys cried out, rushing to the edge of the deck and looking down at the sea in search of the salmonling. But alas, all she caught was a splash in the water. Her grip on the railing tightened.

"Captain Nephrys, I.." The explosher wielder from earlier stammered, approaching Nephrys with a look of worry.

"Save it," She retorted, craning her head towards him with a cold stare. "You know what to do."

He nodded at once and quickly left the deck. Nephrys turned to the waves below once more, as her mind wandered towards the escaped salmonling. Wherever she might've drifted off to now...

* * *

Not a sound could be heard under the sea's blanket. Not a stir could be felt in the waves. No glimmer of light could be seen, save for the pale reflection of the moon.

Beneath the tides, there was only the abyss. And yet.. the abyss didn't bother the salmonling in the slightest. It brought her serenity, even, as she hovered in the seafloor along with her unconscious companion.

There was no strength left in her. She couldn't move in the slightest, and her thoughts were hazy. Her vision was blurry, and it was getting harder and harder for Jade to keep her eyes open. She felt weak and cold all over her body. So, so _cold_ …

Jade had only her thoughts to keep her awake. Notions of anguish, of fear, of failure, of sadness. She would've laughed in that moment; even now, she can't help but screw up everything her companions had worked for. Always so _careless_.

" _I'm.. sorry…_ " Jade lamented, as she lifted a hand and reached out in vain to the surface. Holding even the tiniest bit of hope that something could rescue her from this nightmare she's been entrenched in.

But there was no one to rescue her. There will never be anyone who can.

In her blurred gaze, Jade saw a shadow in the seafloor. Some blackened, mist-like.. thing hovering above her, its only notable trait being a pair of glowing crimson orbs staring back at her. It's face parted into a smile.

Jade couldn't hold on anymore. Her vision soon faded to black...

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hello everyone. It's been.. an even longer amount of time since the last upload. Truthfully, I've been unable to write this story at the pace that I desired, which is why updates have been infrequent. I doubt it will change anytime soon.**

 **Nevertheless, I'll do my best to keep this story going, and sooner or later reach some sort of completion. No way am I going to let this join the mountain of unfinished stories in the archive.** **Now things are gonna get moving along in the plot at a hopefully faster pace than before.**

 **If there's anything you'd like to say or have any feedback to provide, reviews would be appreciated.**


	13. Commonality

First, a pulse. Faint and erratic, but still bouncing.

A rumble. Unsteady and low, yet always vibrating.

A murmur. Hushed, but its words clear as crystal.

Then, a voice, louder than ever before.

"Hey! Wake up!"

And with it's call, Jade rose from the dark with a start. Her eyes snapped open to the sight of a dark-skinned man looking directly at her oddly. No sound came from either of their mouths for a good few seconds.

Until of course, Jade screamed.

She tried to crawl away, but the man quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and held her in place.

"Hey, hey, calm down! It's okay!" The man tried to assure. but his words brought no relief to the girl in his grip.

"S-stay away!" She yelled in turn, thrashing about in his grip.

"Just simmer down for a minute, miss!" He tried again, but only received a shove in response.

"If you come any closer, I'll hurt you!" She shouted in desperation, holding her hand out as if she were about to slash at him.

"... Look, I know you kids like to sound tough, but stop. I am **really** not in the mood to deal with you at the moment," the man advised in an unamused manner.

Jade felt confused. Why hasn't he reacted oddly to her? Why isn't he running away, or screaming, or attacking her? He knows he's looking at a monster, right?

Then she looked at her raised arm and instantly realized why. Peach skin, and perfectly round, clawless fingers.

She stared down at herself for a few moments with a very puzzled look on her face, seeing the same peach skin all over her body. How did she change back?

But as she continued to do so, another realization hit Jade, and her cheeks turned red hot as a result. With an "eeep!" sound, Jade jumped to her feet and pitifully tried to cover herself with her arms.

The man could only shake his head as he watched. "I should have a towel nearby.." He mentioned, turning around for a moment.

A small head slowly peeked out from behind the man, looking somewhat similar to him. His stutter alerted Jade to his presence, and the two locked eyes with one another. The exchange lasted for more than a few moments.

"Jade?"

"..Khal?"

One, two, three beats of silence followed.

".. Why are you naked?"

Khal's obvious comment only flustered the girl more as she shook her head and looked away. "I-it's not what you think it is! I—"

Jade stopped when she felt a bump against her, and she looked down to see Khal had wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She gingerly returned the gesture with a smile.

"I'm so glad you're ok.." Khal said softly, burying his face into Jade's abdomen. The girl gave no reply, only giving a soft squeeze to the boy.

"I take it you already know each other?" The man spoke once more, startling Jade and Khal out of their embrace.

"Wh— oh! Uh, t-this is Jade, dad, she's my—"

"Friend! We're.. friends! Since a few weeks ago!" Jade continued awkwardly, with a nervous laugh afterwards.

"Hey, it's alright," Khal's father reassured with a friendly smirk and putting his hands up in a casual manner. "By the way, I think you'll be needing this," He added as he pulled out a white towel and held it out to Jade.

She snatched it with surprising speed and quickly wrapped it over herself. "Thanks.."

"WILLBUUURR! IT'S TIME TO GO!"

All three turned to the source of the sudden shout; an inkling woman clad in a yellow sundress. She stood on a wooden platform that lay at the berm of the beach— very close to a fence and a road behind her—, and her crossed arms and uneasy frown gave off an air of impatience.

"Yeah, yeah, I just.. found some company!" The man, Willburr, yelled back from where he stood. "Get your bags Khal, your mother's waiting," he commanded quickly, waving at the boy to follow him as he broke into a jog to where the woman stood.

Khal did as told, picking up a blue duffel bag from the san. Before he could join his father, however, he gazed at Jade once more.

"What are you gonna do, Jade?"

"I.. don't know."

Khal's frown was laced with worry. "Huh? But how are you gonna get back to your home?"

"I'll figure it out, okay? Don't worry about me," The inkgirl tried to reassure.

Yet her words ended up having the opposite effect, if Khal's dissatisfied frown was anything to go by.

"Khal… I can't go with you. I'm a stranger to your parents, I doubt they'll let me into your house so fast."

"You won't know until we ask. Trust me, they don't judge!" Khal said, an encouraging smile plastered on his face. It was enough for Jade to relent, and with a huff she grabbed ahold of Khal's hand and accompanied him on the walk toward his parents.

As the pair of teens drew closer, they could overhear the adults in the middle of a discussion.

"We don't have anything to provide her with, Lena. We can't bring her with us," Willburr argued.

"Well we can't just leave her here either!" Lena, exclaimed with a look of distraught.

"I know, but what are we supposed to do? Drive her around until we find her house?"

"We can ask her about that later. For now she needs aid.. and some clothes," she affirmed with a glance towards Jade as she and Khal came right up to her and Willburr.

Jade glanced uneasily between the adults, shifting her feet nervously. She expected the arguments, they were a natural aspect of any relationship, after all. She figured they probably felt unwilling to take her in and would rather call an ambulance or something. That was expected as well.

But then they turned towards her, and in their gazes Jade found not suspicion or judgement. She saw.. concern?

"Heya. We were uh.. actually talking about you just now.." Willburr began, an air of awkwardness permeating through his words.

"Are you alright?" Lena asked softly, taking a step closer to Jade.

The girl's nod was quick. "Sorry if I'm being a bother to you, or your husband."

"You're no such thing, sweetie," Lena replied with a small smile. "Right, **Willburr**?"

Her forceful mention of his name caught the man off-guard and broke his composure. He could only utter a hasty "No, of course not! You're fine!" as a response.

"Mom, can Jade come with us?" Khal asked as he hugged his mother.

"Of course she can," Lena affirmed, stroking Khal's hair gently. "Right, **Willburr**?"

She received an exasperated groan from her husband however, as he hung his head down. "You really need to stop doing that, you know?"

Lena merely grinned mischievously. "I'll take that as a yes, if you don't mind."

Jade had covered her mouth all the while, trying and failing to suppress a giggle.

* * *

A content smile graced Khal's face for much of the car ride to the Serranos' home. He had his friend back after all, and despite some initial apprehension, his parents and Jade were getting along as well as he'd hoped. The car had turned another corner in the maze of roads when Lena and Jade shared another laugh.

"You should've seen his face after I wiped the floor with him. He was absolutely fuming!" The girl bragged with a chuckle.

"I can't imagine it looking any other way," The woman confided, shaking her head. "Kids these days get angered over the smallest thing. It's just a game, what's the problem?"

"Trust me, mom, it hardly feels like a game once you're actually in the match," Khal added, "You kinda forget about everything when you're focused on winning."

Jade nodded sheepishly. "I've been guilty of that a few times.."

With an amused glance, Willburr chimed in. "Guess we now know why you sometimes come back with a long face, Khal."

"Hey! I get over my losses fast.." The boy retorted with a pout. In turn, the parents shared a chuckle between themselves at their son's expression.

The quartet had soon arrived at their destination, stopping at the entrance of a small, run of the mill two-story house painted yellow. As soon as they entered the small parking lot near the front yard, the vehicle's rear doors swung open and Khal and Jade hopped out of it. Lena and Willburr followed, albeit in a more subdued manner.

The inkboy immediately set down the orange bag he had on him in the nearest table and plopped down on the couch beside it. In turn, Jade sat down beside him, letting out a sigh of relief while doing so. "This is actually comfy.."

"I know, right? Best place to lay down if you're ever tired," Khal chimed in, stretching on the couch.

Jade hummed. She looked to have visibly relaxed, her shoulders slumping and her body leaning backward on the couch. They both stayed like that for a bit, unwilling to lift a finger and simply enjoying a moment of respite. The parents soon stepped inside the house as well, glancing at the pair. With only a shared gaze, they silently agreed to let the young inklings have a moment to themselves, and promptly headed up to their rooms.

Khal's gaze wandered towards his taller friend, and despite her tranquil expression, there was something in her eyes that struck him as.. odd. Out of place.

They looked narrowed and slightly drooping down, the light in them missing. He's seen it before; his mother had it on her every time she went to wish him good night.

He could only imagine what would possibly be upsetting his friend. Though.. maybe this time, he could provide some sort of comfort, just like Lena always did to him.

He said her name, and in turn she craned her head straight towards him with a tired gaze.

"Is there something bothering you?"

Now Khal was greeted with confusion from the girl's end. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

"Well.. you don't look very happy.."

"Khal, I'm fine. Really! Just somewhat.. tired at the moment, that's all."

"Oh. Well, is there anything I can do to help you feel better?"

"I'm not sure. But don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

Khal saw the small, stiff smile form on Jade's lips as she said that, and somehow he immediately _knew_ something was definitely amiss. No way was he going to let Jade beat around the bush today. Not on his watch.

Khal frowned. "Jade.. you don't have to hide stuff from me, you know. I won't be mad at you."

"I'm **fine** ," the girl repeated forcefully in turn.

"Don't you trust me?" He crawled closer to her on the couch.

"You wouldn't get it," she mumbled, turning away from Khal.

"I want to help!"

She turned to Khal again with an unreadable expression. "Khal, I—"

"It's been so long without a word or a text or anything to tell me you're okay! And then when you come back and you're obviously bothered by something, you expect me to just ignore that?!"

It was enough to startle Jade, as she leaned away from Khal in surprise and stared at him with widened eyes.

He took a breath to calm himself before resuming. "Just let me know about whatever it is that's eating you up inside, and I'll help you. Please."

"...I'll tell you later, okay? I'm not exactly ready to share now…"

"Promise?" Khal's hopeful gaze shone directly onto Jade's own.

Jade smiled warmly in turn. "Promise."

Fine by him. He'd rather have it now, sure, but he could wait a few hours. It's the least he could do.

So without further ado, he hugged Jade as tightly and lovingly as he could, bringing an even brighter smile to the girl's face.

* * *

"Lunch is ready!"

Such a call sprung the pair of teens into action— Khal moreso than Jade— and on the dinner table they were greeted with a banquetful of foods of all kinds, courtesy of Lena and Willburr's combined cooking expertise. Awe and wonder was evident on the teen's faces as they looked over the food— Jade even felt beads of drool gather inside her mouth, and she was too focused on what she was seeing to stop them from sliding out.

Khal was the first to dig in, excitable and energetic as ever, and Lena and Willburr followed suit. Again, Jade felt slight apprehension at intruding in the family's activities, but that was mitigated when they beckoned her to eat with them. What followed was an hour of laughs, stories, and of course being treated to delicious food. It drew a smile on Jade's face. Some time later, Khal and Willburr had to leave the house in order to run some errands, to both of their displeasure.

Lena even allowed Jade to borrow some of her clothes for the day, a simple blue tank top, some underwear and gray shorts. They fit a little loosely on her, but they worked nonetheless. Lena's promise of buying a set of clothes for her later on also helped reassure Jade, even if she did feel like a bit of a leech at the moment.

These people… they've only just now met her, yet they acted in such a kind and caring manner. It puzzled Jade, made her ponder as she watched Lena wash and clean the dishes from where she sat, sometime after lunch had ended.

There looked to be many of them on the sink. At the pace Lena was washing, Jade was sure it'd take an entire afternoon for all the dishes to be cleaned. Too much for one person, in her book.

Without making any noticeable noise, she stood up from her chair and approached the sink. Only when she began scrubbing her first plate did Lena notice her.

"What are you doing here?" She asked simply, her brows raising in surprise.

"I thought you'd like some help, miss Lena," Jade smiled. "These are a **lot** of dishes after all."

"Aw, don't worry about me. I can handle this just fine!" Lena assured as she added another plate to the stack of cleaned dishes.

"C'mon, It's only fair I do something in return for all the help you've given me."

"Not if you're my guest, you won't."

"..Not even just one?" Jade finished cleaning the dish in her hands and slowly reached for another, only to have her hand slapped away by Lena. "Phooey.."

"Like I said: Not if you're my guest."

The girl crossed her arms with a huff. A brief stareoff between the females ensued, until Jade gave up and retreated to the couch. Lena continued washing without delay. So Jade fell right back into where she started, simply watching with faint interest..

Lena did throw a few glances at her all throughout the cleaning process, either frowning or nodding at whatever stance Jade was in. It felt baffling to say the least; was she like this with Khal, too?

The woman did eventually finish with the dishes, however, much faster than Jade originally thought. She was drying her hands with a towel when she glanced at Jade again.

"Why the long face? Relax." Lena encouraged, walking over to Jade.

"I'm relaxed," Jade mumbled, lying face up on the couch.

"Tossing and turning doesn't exactly ease the mind," Lena replied as she sat next to the girl.

"Hey, it works for me," Jade shrugged, "Staying still has never been my thing."

"Is that so.."

The woman walked briskly to a nearby door. She instructed Jade to come with her, and despite some reluctance the girl did as told. She found herself in a pitch black room upon following Lena inside, and somehow the woman had vanished as well. Jade looked around in the darkness, and on instinct covered her eyes when the lights turned on.

The room looked basic and featureless, only boasting a floor of black tiles with a white square rim along with a table serving as the resting place of a small speaker. Now that Jade got a good look at it, she'd say the room kind of resembled a simple dance floor..

The speakers blared to life suddenly, playing a short but catchy beat to start. Opposite to Jade stood Lena, barefooted and boasting a strangely inviting smile.

"M-miss Lena? What is this?" Jade's tone was laced with suspicion as her eyes darted around the place.

"Let's dance," Was her only answer as she held out a hand toward Jade. The girl took it gingerly in turn, only to be suddenly spun around and caught by Lena before she could fall.

"W-wait! I dunno how to actually dance!" She cried out as Lena carried her from one end of the dance floor to another.

"Don't worry about that, just try it! The music will guide you!" Lena advised over the developing melody.

The time spent on the dance floor was both fun-filled and a bit of a scare for Jade. On one hand, She did enjoy the music, having both a decently fast pace and catchy melody for her to base her moves after, and the simple act of dancing about to her heart's content brought much joy to her. On the other hand..

Boy was she an utter mess at it. Half the time it felt more like a balancing act than letting herself be carried by the beat of the song, and there were many instances in which she tripped herself up, fumbled her choreography, or otherwise struggled to stay on her two feet. Lena was always nearby to help her out, at least, and she either caught her from falling whenever she was about to, or pulled her up whenever she actually did. Her welcoming smile and urgings of "Keep going!" and "You're doing great!" certainly did their job of motivating Jade. There was a moment where Lena grasped onto Jade's hands and led her all over the dance floor, spinning round and round and even singing along with the music, an amusing sight contagious enough for Jade to join in on the singing.

The song ended eventually, and the inklings stopped to catch their breaths. They shared a glance. The sheepish smile on Jade contrasted Lena's patient smile.

"So…"

"That felt.. nice, actually? I'm surprised... I think I feel a little lighter now."

"Relaxed, even?"

"Yeah! That too—..." Jade stopped in the middle of the sentence, realization hitting her at full force, and slowly turned toward Lena with an unamused pout. The woman couldn't stifle her laughter. "Hey…"

"You **did** mention that staying still wasn't for you. I figured doing something more active could stop that head of yours from throbbing so much."

"Yeah… If I'm honest, I'd like to thank you, miss—"

"Oh don't worry about any formal stuff. Just 'Lena' is fine," The inkling woman said with an off-wave.

"Oh, ok! Thanks so much for this, Lena!" Jade beamed.

Lena smiled warmly in turn. "My pleasure."

She found herself smiling along with her, feeling quite good about herself for the moment. A question did cross her mind however as she looked out the door.

"I wonder how Khal is doing…"

* * *

Khal felt incredibly, unmistakably, small. Now, it was true that he was shorter than the average inkling youth, he had no qualms about that. Any jokes regarding his height were usually brushed off with a smile and a laugh. His height was the least of his concerns.

But for the love of god, why was Inkopolis so. damn. _Big_?

Every corner he turned, every street he crossed, and every sidewalk he passed through looked the same as the last, and his path only led to places he knew nothing of. Without a map in hand, he lacked any sense of direction, stuck wandering in circles. To Khal, Inkopolis might as well have been one needlessly big maze. And he was a fly in it.

Backpack slung over his shoulder, he trekked through another avenue, his bored frown and droopy eyes swaying about in search of something— anything— that could lead him to his destination. He had gone out to run errands for his mother, namely completing a checklist of items she needed, but so far he's had very little luck in locating the majority of them. Lena did tell him that most of the things on the list where at a particular supermarket, but he had no idea how to get there, and the map on his phone didn't help either.

Right now, however, he wanted to rest his legs. So he sat down on the first bench he could find, stretched his legs for a moment, and laid there for some time. Something on the other side of the street caught his eye, however.

A gathering of fellow inklings it seemed, though not of the pleasant kind. One inkling looked to be antagonized by three others, the tallest among the trio grabbing their victim by the collar of their shirt and pinning them against a wall.

The sight struck a nerve in the boy, his gaze on the bullies hardening almost on instinct into a glare.

" _Jerks…_ "

Without much pondering, Khal stood up from his bench and crossed the street to the other side. He briefly glanced around in search of something to get the group's attention and found some discarded juiceboxes on the floor. Good enough for him.

The tallest of the trio of bullies, a tan-skinned male, laughed rambunctiously at the smaller squid's blubbering. "Haha, what's wrong, idiot?! Gonna cry, maybe wet yourself?!"

His accomplices laughed along with him, the victim looking down in shame with tearful eyes. The tall inkling raised his prey high, but a sudden shout startled him enough to drop the bullied boy.

"Whu—?!" As soon as he turned around, the bully was greeted by juicebox smacking against his face, its contents spilling all over him and his shirt. "Hey, I just bought this!"

Khal disregarded the bully's complaint as he approached. "Leave him alone, you bozos!" He yelled defiantly at the trio.

"Who asked you, gremlin?!" the accomplice girl next to the tall one snapped back.

"Mind your business!" The other accomplice added. They both received juiceboxes to the face in response. The bullied inkling took the chance to scurry away from his aggressors, giving a thumbs up to Khal for a brief moment.

"Grr, that's **it**! You asked for it!"

"Get him!"

A brief chase ensued between the bullies and Khal, the small boy leading them all over the streets in an effort to both confuse and lose them. It didn't work, however, for the bullies were able to keep up and eventually corner him in a closed off alley. Khal looked between the wall behind him and the bullies in his path, his mind scrambling to figure out a solution.

Alas, he was unable to figure it out in time before the tallest of the bullies approached menacingly and grabbed Khal by his pink hoodie and slammed him against the wall.

"You made me lose my catch for the day.." The tall inkling seethed as he stared down at Khal. The boy looked unconcerned, however.

"Aww, I'm sorry. It just seemed like you didn't need it," Khal snarked back. He was slammed harshly onto the ground as a result of his indignation.

"No one messes with me! I'll just give you the boot!"

Yet just as the bully prepared to kick Khal while he was down, he noticed a large shadow looming over him from the corner of his eye. His companions' cheers were suddenly silenced as well, and as soon as he turned around to see why, he froze in place.

"Is there a problem here?" Nephrys asked inquisitively, her sharp purple eyes boring onto the trio of squids.

"N-no, lady, we w-were just uh.. helpin' out the little guy here get up!"

Glancing at Khal's bruised face told her another story however. A more truthful one. Swiftly and without warning, she grabbed the main bully by the collar of his shirt and lifted him off his feet, up to her eye level. His lackeys backed up in fear.

"A word of advice: if you're gonna lie, don't make it obvious, and certainly don't do it over something stupid. Otherwise, I might have to teach you some manners."

The boy trembled and squirmed, but Nephrys' grip only tightened as a result. "I see you pick on him or anyone else again, and a world of hurt will be coming for you. Am. I. **Clear**?"

The bully bobbed his head up and down with such speed that it looked like he entered a sugar rush of sorts. He was dropped onto the ground without another word from the woman, and the bully and his lackeys wasted no time in bolting out of the alley.

From where he lay, Khal gaped at the woman, unable to utter a word or sound. Where did she come from?

Nephrys stared him down again, and took short steps towards him. To Khal's surprise, her glare softened as she came closer and knelt down by his side.

"You okay there, kid?" She asked, extending a hand. Khal took it gingerly and was pulled up by Nephrys.

"Thanks, miss…"

"You shouldn't have done that. They could've done worse things to you."

"W-well, someone had to stop those mean guys from picking on someone innocent!" He exclaimed, though his tone was unsure.

"Not at your own expense," Nephrys replied before walking away.

Khal spaced out as he pondered those words. 'Own expense'? What did she mean by that? All he got out of his stunt was a slight bruise! He sure didn't see any expense there..

His feet moved on their own before he realized it, and in just a few seconds he went from seeing the woman depart to walking just behind her, trailing her as if he were a lost pet.

She glanced at him again with puzzlement in her eyes and slowed incher walking. "What is it?"

"Uh.. I want to.. do something for you, miss."

"Why's that? There's no need, kid."

"I mean, you went out of your way to help me, so… I want to help you back as thanks!" Khal affirmed with determination.

This earned a chuckle and a small smile from Nephrys. "So kind of you," she praised softly. "Hm.. I'm not sure what you could do…"

"Anything you want, miss!"

"Even pouring ketchup all over your clothes?"

Khal blushed upon hearing that and looked away with embarrassment. Nephrys chuckled again and placed her uncovered hand on Khal's head, Instantly vanishing any feelings of embarrassment in him. "I'm kidding. There's a place I'm going to just now, a store. If you want, you can accompany me there."

"Okay!" Khal nodded with his head, "I don't know exactly where it is though.."

"I don't know, either. Oh well, we can always figure it out on the way, right?"

"Yeah!"

Neprys smiled warmly at Khal, "Alright then. Let's go!"

So the pair was off toward their destination. Using Khal's phone, they managed to find a map of the sector, including the exact location of the store they were trying to reach, and devised a path to get there. They asked around whenever they found themselves lost or otherwise confused, and took moments of respite every so often, during which Khal got to know the woman better upon learning of her name. Needless to say, he was left intrigued. There were salmon runners with a higher rank than profreshional? What kind of things did she do compared to the salmon runs done from Inkopolis Square? What did she do when not in her job?

He didn't care if it was strange or naive of him to accompany and trust someone he just met, he just wanted to know more.

They had gotten closer to their destination when Khal spoke up again.

"So… what can I do when I'm surrounded by a bunch of salmonids?"

"Well in my experience, you only have two options if such a thing happens. Either you stand your ground and try to clear them out or—"

"You run away. Right?" He finished.

"It's more retreating to a safer spot, I'd say," Nephrys corrected, putting a finger on her chin. "Sometimes it's better to take a moment to catch yourself than to jump in headlong."

"So I shouldn't even try to fight when I'm surrounded, then?" He asked again, his voice glum and disappointed.

Nephrys turned to Khal, confusion dawning on her. "That's not.. why do you say it like that?"

"Like what?"

"'Shouldn't even try'," she repeated in a similar tone as his, "Retreating. As if that's something to be ashamed of. As if it's somehow wrong."

"I mean it is, no? It makes me look like a coward.."

Nephrys stopped and knelt to Khal's level, grasping him by his shoulders. "Keeping yourself safe is not cowardly. Not when you admit you're unable to handle a threat on your own."

"But then that means I can't do anything right on my own.."

He looked away, off into the distance. "If I can't help others without getting hurt myself, then what's the point? I'll just make them worry.."

With her gloved hand, Nephrys directed Khal's face towards her, and gazed sternly into his eyes. "Don't you still want to help them? Without getting yourself hurt?"

"O-of course!" It's just—"

"Then you must prepare yourself to take on challenges, even if the odds are stacked against you."

Her response only puzzled Khal further. "But how?"

She looked down, as if thinking about something for a few seconds, before gazing at the boy again. "I'll show you. Tomorrow at the grizzco outpost in Inkopolis Square, 10 in the morning."

"Really? But why me?" He wondered, his voice laced with insecurity

"I can see your heart's in the right place, Khal. It takes courage to stand up to people like the kids from earlier, and.. I'd like to impart on you a few tips and tricks for if you ever face people like them again. Maybe even help you do better in your next salmon run."

"...OK! I'll go!" He nodded with renewed vigor.

"That's the spirit!"

They soon reached their destination, and after helping Nephrys with her groceries, the two bid goodbye to each other and promised to meet the next day.

* * *

With a heave of relief, Jade plopped onto the bed in the guest's room. Today was just what she needed after the scandal from the island. No, after this entire mess started; a moment to slow down, relax, and leave her worries behind for a few moments.

Pondering her situation with a cooler head was also beneficial, though Jade was in no rush to do anything of that sort yet. For now, she decided to spend her time looking over the clothes Lena had bought her. They weren't exactly to her tastes, but they look good enough to wear and appropriately sized. Jade smiled as she stared down at the set.

She soon heard a knock on her door, and turned around to see Lena standing by it.

"I trust nothing too awful happened in the afternoon?" The woman asked.

"Nope! Just me and my thoughts," Jade grinned. Lena moved to sit down beside her in the bed.

"Glad to hear."

"Hey, Lena? I know I said this earlier but.. I'm really grateful for all your help. I don't know what I'd do without you, mister Willburr or Khal."

"It's no problem. I'm just wondering how you ended up in that beach."

Oh right. That.

"Um.. about that… I—"

Lena had noticed the uneasiness in Jade's shifting about and put a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to tell me if it's too uncomfortable for you. It's alright if you don't."

"No, no! I do want to tell you, miss. You deserve to know."

"..I'm listening."

Jade sucked in a breath and exhaled slowly before continuing. "So remember when I told you a few hours ago that I went to a beach party and kinda lost it and passed out? I.. never really went to the beach. Not by choice. And there wasn't any party there, either."

"Oh my gosh, you were kidnapped?!"

"..No, actually. Sort of. You see, someone's been… searching for me in the past few days. They found me, we got into a fight and then.."

She was temporarily distracted by a light that entered the corner of her eye, and as she turned to see why, fear washed over Jade.

Out in the window lay the moon in full view. And she had stared at it.

"I-I have to go," she stood up hurriedly only to be stopped by Lena.

"Wait, what's wrong—"

"Please let me go, I—!"

She was cut off by her own blood-curdling scream, and in agony Jade fell to her knees. Her body burned once more, every muscle and sinew of her being aching and twisting, while she could do nothing but whimper. It didn't take long for her beastly visage to be completely restored.

Once the pain ended, the panting salmonling dared not move from her spot, her clawed hands gingerly grasping her snout. Likewise, the inkling woman could only look on speechless, stifling a gasp with hands over her mouth.

Their eyes met, enraptured into a long gaze, and both their minds ran wild with thoughts of doubt and worry and fear. So much _fear_.

Jade was drowning in it, even as she figured what was about to happen. A scream of fright, a rush to the nearest telephone, a bout of horror beckoning her to flee and for Lena to abandon her. Oh yes, she could almost picture it in her mind. This was goodbye wasn't it?

Yet the instant she made her move, Jade felt a hand on her wrist, and when she looked back at Lena she saw not disgust or anger in her eyes. She saw.. recognition?

Wait, why was she pulling her into a hug?

"Miss Lena…?" Jade tried to ask, her voice no higher than a whisper, but she was quickly shushed by the woman.

"This is why that someone has been searching for you, isn't it?"

Jade nodded, slowly but surely.

It was as if something had clicked in Lena's mind. Her expression turned solemn, her voice turning sad and gentle. "Oh, Jade.. I can only imagine what you've been through because of this."

Jade didn't have it in her to keep any sort of composure any longer. So she buried her nuzzle into Lena's chest and cried. For minutes on end, she did nothing else but cry and sob into the woman's dress, clinging to her like a lost child. Part of her felt ashamed of her current demeanor, demanded that she be stronger than this. Every time Lena looked directly at her and rubbed her back gently assured otherwise. She could never figure out this woman. Why?

"Aren't you gonna kick me out..?" The salmonling blubbered helplessly, staring up at Lena once more with tearful eyes.

"Not if you're my guest."

"B-but I—!"

The woman shushed her gently. "I know. I know what you did to him, but.. now I can see that it wasn't your choice."

"I don't know what to do.. I-I don't want to hurt anyone, I…"

"Calm yourself first. Deep breaths."

Jade did as instructed, sucking in air before exhaling it several times for a few seconds. It had the intended result.

"I don't fully understand what is happening, but we'll think of something, alright? You need to rest for now. It's been a long day."

Lena allowed the salmonling to set her head down on her shoulder, and the two returned to their embrace. Jade sighed in relief. The threat is over for now. Perhaps now that she had someone to trust she didn't have to be afraid anymore.

But then she gazed outside the room, and her eyes widened. Terror begun to fester within her once more..

As the terrified form of Khal stared right back at her.


End file.
